Visit to the Green Swamp, North Carolina

[jfowler]

Hey Folks,

Just got back from a one-day visit to the Green Swamp, North Carolina to photograph carnivorous plants and orchids. Saw a number of both.

Here is a link to my PBase gallery of this visit:

www.pbase.com/jimfowler/20080511greenswamp

Here is one of the photos to whet your appetite:

Small patch of Dionaea muscipula

[Brian Barnes]

Nice photos and trip, Jim. I can't wait until the bog orchids bloom down here...They're such a nice compliment to the CP's.
Happy Growing,
Brian.

[jfowler]

Hey Brian,

I am really a native orchidophile, but in my searches for these wonderful flowers, I met up and fell in love with carnivorous plants. They often occupy the same habitat, so it's no big surprise when you find them growing together. For me, spring is special in the South and Southeast for that very reason.

[DroseraBug]

Wonderful photos. I love the Cleistes and S. flava. Hope I get to take a trip this year myself. You seem to know your southeastern orchids well. I posted these pictures on another forum from a green swamp trip I took a while back. Can you I.D. the Calapogon species from these flower photos? I have not had a response yet. We saw Calapogon tuberosus but wasn't sure about these.

www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=112918

[jfowler]

Hey Droserabug,

Both of those are Calopogon pallidus. In that species, the flowers bloom serially up the stem, and the lateral sepals are always recurved to some extent. They come in various "flavors" from deep magenta to pure white (forma albiflorus) with no hint of pink or rose. I just posted a few photos of C. pallidus that I saw this past weekend in the Green Swamp. The link is

www.pbase.com/jimfowler/20080511greenswamp

Thanks for sharing your photos with us.

[BarryRice]

Hey Jim,

Nice to see the photos. I know EXACTLY the site for those Dionaea photos. That's my favorite site for colorful plants!

I am so bummed to hear about your camera bag loss....

B

[jfowler]

Thanks, Barry. Yes, that spot in Boiling Spring Lakes is a classic site. It is currently managed by The Nature Conservancy. As far as the lost camera equipment is concerned, I've already reordered replacement stuff, and I'm leaving financial recovery in the hands of my homeowner's insurance company.