Pitcher Plants are a species of carnivorous plants we found in North Florida.These beautiful and delicate plants grow up to 3 feet tall. The leaves are tubular, forming a hood with radiant colors The lower part of the leaves are green and the upper part is white with red reticulations. They flower from March to July and are found in wet pine flatwoods and other wet areas. They are endangered in Florida and are called "Insectivore" because they trap and digest small insects in the pitcher part of the plant.
Pitcher plants, so named because their erect, hollow leaves resemble pitchers, "eat" insects. Insects and I are attracted to the bright colors of
the flowers or hoods, and to nectar secretions and enticing odors produced by some species. Insects that venture in may encounter downward pointing hairs on a slippery and sticky wall that lead down to a pool of digestive enzymes or rainwater at the base of the tube. The digested bugs provide a rich source of nutrients naturally lacking in the wet, acidic soils where pitcher plants grow.
Maggie discovered fields of Pitcher plants in the land of her birth in North Florida. We were introduced to a wild field of Pitcher Plants in the Apalachicola National Forest by Wayne Martin of Blountstown. At least four Florida species are now protected under state or federal law. The delicate plants are found in fields and bogs. Their beautiful but fragile habitats do not hold up well to human traffic. These beautiful works of nature's art inspired Maggie's series of ceramic Pitcher Plants of Pottery.
Information resources was taken from "Florida Wildflowers in Their Natural Communities" by Walter Kingsley Taylor, University Press of Florida.
