A plant with red tubular leaves is growing on a log in a wetland in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. This is a Pitcher Plant, a carnivorous plant that devours insects by luring them with nectar, scent, and color onto a slick, trap-shaped leaf. Once inside, insects encounter slippery waxy surfaces and downward-pointing hairs, causing them to fall into a pool of digestive enzymes or microbes at the bottom, where they are slowly digested. (I must admit, taking things from the point of view of the insect, that this sounds like a horrible way to die.) Pitcher Plants can be found in bogs, tamarack swamps, and peaty areas in the Adirondack Mountains.
For the #coloraday theme #redwed, I submit this photogenic #PitcherPlant, growing on a moss-covered log in a wetland. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-w...
#eastcoastkin #AdirondackMountains #Adirondacks #ECK #nature #ADK #wildflower #AdirondackWildflowers #wetlands #AdirondackWetlands