A few months back, I was lamenting the fact that I could find no sundew plants down in the creek behind the house. There were tons of them in my daughter's bog but nary a one in ours. It saddened me since I truly love these little plants. Their bejeweled leaves sparkle and shine with each sunbeam. The "jewels" are droplets of sweet mucilage (think glue here...yep, glue!) and are designed with one thought in mind...attracting bugs. Once a critter climbs on board to take a sip, they become ensnared in the sticky stuff and WHAM!, they are caught. The plant has supper. The critter is absorbed as nutrients by the plant. Sundews can grow in the poorest of soils due to the fact that they "eat" to gain nutrition. I like them, not only because they are beautiful, but because they do catch bugs. One thing we have plenty of here on the Bayou, is BUGS!
Earlier today, I meandered back behind the canebrake, down the hillside to the creek area. I could not go deep into the creek bed since a storm is brewing and has the tide in the Bay quite high. This water pushes into the Bayou and eventually into the creek. Today, the creek was swollen to the point that it was a bit treacherous to enter. Snakes would be seeking higher ground and might be on my usual path. While most would be water snakes, there is always the outside chance that a moccasin might be among the ferns. It was best that I stick to higher ground myself. I chose one spot where the sun filtered down between the leaves of a poplar tree dappling the ground below. Making myself comfortable to listen to the rails chattering their conversations between nest sites, I spied a sparkly red object and had to investigate. A small patch of sundews was shimmering in the sunlight! I was elated! The seven small plants were nestled in a patch of peat moss (which was also a pleasant find!). Since Hurricane Katrina dumped a couple of tons of debris in my creek, we have been hard pressed to find any such plants and, now, I found a fresh start! These were on higher ground than expected but seemed to be doing quite well. The sundews were thriving on the many insects already creepy-crawling about the place. Curious fact...our sundews are not nearly as vivid as those in my daughter's bog. There are at least 194 species of sundews with some looking quite different than others. Hers are brilliant ruby red while ours have a good bit of green in the leaves. Seems like a bog garden needs to be in the works during the near future! There are so many unique plants that not many folks ever get the chance to see. It would be fun to share the beauty.
While tromping about the bog the other day, Elizabeth and I found many interesting plants. Of course, we both love the unusual so if a plant looked weird or had a weird history, it had us from the start. One thing that I noticed was that her place (unlike here) has an abundance of Sundews. These little plants go unnoticed by many folks simply because they are tiny and love to grow in places like bogs. Most folks are hesitant about getting their feet and clothes muddy and covered with grime. They are also not overly fond of snakes, ticks, spiders and other creepy-crawlies that inhabit said bog. We are just the opposite. A little mud and grime never hurt anyone and, well, we are too much like Pop when it comes to critters. "Let the critters watch out for themselves." was his mantra when it came to biting creatures. That pretty much sums up our thoughts as well. We like to explore. Sitting inside all day would be quite boring to the two of us and, well, if we are going to be out and about, we may as well be somewhere that we both love. Bogs are fun!
The Sundews first caught my eye on the hill above the creek. With that, I knew that an adventure into the bog was in the making. One just could not find Sundews gleaming in the sun and not delve further into a swamp to explore. The possibilities were endless! Down under the tall grasses, a bit of sparkly red could be seen. Excitedly, she and I dropped to our knees to examine the wee plants. They were beautiful and gleaming like jewels that had been lost in the tall grass.
Botanists tell us that the Sundews are amazing carnivorous plants. The sparkles are the "dew" that the plants secrete. This is nectar that the plants' glands secrete in hopes of attracting an insect. Once a bug crawls in to feast upon the nectar, it becomes ensnared. The very nectar the insect chose to eat soon becomes a trap. The bug is glued to the plant and, no matter how it wiggles, it cannot escape. Within minutes, the critter suffocates and the leaves begin to dissolve the bug and absorb it. The nutrients from the critter feed the plant.
I am in love with these tiny plants and feel that I need several million to live on the Bayou with me! With the number of insects that thrive here, it would not surprise me to find that within a year, the tiny Sundews would be gigantic! The soil here might be a bit too acidic, though, as these plants prefer a moist soil that is not acidic. Perhaps bringing a bit of soil from Elizabeth's place and keeping my Sundews potted might suffice. I shall try.
The sparkly Sundews brought back a few happy memories from when I was a mere tyke visiting my cousin. She used to live just a stone's throw from where the Little Bayou House now stands. When we were kids, she and I would search the lower part of their yard for Sundews and try to feed them critters. If I remember rightly, there were Venus Flytrap plants in the yard as well. Next week, when Elizabeth and I bog tromp again, I will be on the search for Flytraps. Carnivorous plants are fun!
