Geo 365: Nov. 4, Day 308: Darlingtonia Twofer

Since I mentioned the Darlingtonia flowers, I felt compelled to show a couple views of them- though I think this is a pair of views of the same one. The above shows the color, and how shy they are about showing themselves.

This one is a view looking directly upward, and I like it not so much for the flower, as for the way it shows the translucent "skylights" in the adjacent insectivorous leaf. Insects are attracted by odor and nectar to the portal on the bottom of the hood. When they go to fly away, they mistake the translucent spots as "sky", and become disoriented and exhausted bouncing off the ceiling. The throat of the column is covered with downward-pointing hairs that ultimately direct the victim into a pool of digestive enzymes and bacteria commensal with the plant, where it is digested.

Frankly, for flower photos, you're better off with Dana's post, and the importance of the geological setting was discussed on February 7th.

Photo unmodified. May 7, 2013. FlashEarth location.