A Carnivorous Feast

Happy Canada Day!

This year we had a real Carnivorous feast in advance to the Canada Day Celebration, heading out towards the Bruce Peninsula just at the right time to see in flower, among others, the butterwort – Pinguicula vulgaris. This small vegetal carnivore will trap and digest insects with the help of its sticky, glandular, bright green leaves. But the flowers are highly attractive too, reason why a few species and hybrids are also cultivated. It is great around the pond areas, bog gardens or even a moist crevice of the rockery.

Pinguicula vulgaris

Celebrating Canada Day includes honouring the wild, pristine landscapes we are fortunate to still have. Unfortunately, large areas of wetlands are threatened by housing developments (followed by the inevitable shopping malls), and one of the first things to disappear when a wetland habitat degrades are its carnivorous plants. The least we can do is first to be aware of their existence!

And there wouldn’t have been a celebration without something red, but there were plenty of pitcher plants (Sarracenia purpurea) and slenderleaf sundews (Drosera linearis).

Sarracenia purpurea

Drosera linearis

Note: Interestingly enough, in northern regions of Europe butterwort leaves were known to have bactericidal properties; for example, traditional uses included healing cattle sores and to curdle milk.
Found more about Pinguicula, including tips for growing at this website: A WORLD OF PINGUICULA.