#cephalotus

Ko-fi dooble

My small pot of cephalotus

I put a blue quail egg into the intermediate quail tank (which has no quail, just clean bedding as it awaits more quail hatching) and Cephalotus and Clifford adopted it, and built a nest around it. Immediately below them, my favorite hen laid an egg, and laid her second egg the same day Cephalotus started sitting on his quail egg. So I gave him one of those, too, and gave her a blue quail egg so she would still have 2.

Yes! They did!

This is the North American pitcher plant, Sarrecenia (aka Trumpet Pitcher). They grow in marshy, boggy environments, and their trumpet doubles as their leaf. What you see here is the entire plant, and they'll collect rainwater in their throats to lure in prey. They'll stay somewhat narrow, although some varieties can hit several feet in height. Somewhat hard to find if you're looking to buy, but if you're lucky enough to have a specialty greenhouse near you then there's a pretty good chance. I have two, they're both little clumps about six inches tall, and I adore them

This is the Asian pitcher plant, Nepenthes (aka Monkey's Paw). They, unlike the North American ones, grow in trees. They're designed specifically for hanging! They collect rainwater in their pitchers, lure in prey, and will eat whatever falls in. There's reports of finding small mammals and birds in the pitchers of the largest varieties, which can easily be larger than your entire hand at maturity. On the bright side, this is by far the easiest variety to find and own for yourself! I've got three, they're the loves of my life

This is the Australian pitcher plant, Cephalotus (aka Fly-Catcher). These guys are tiny. Hold out your hand, measure your pointer finger from your nail to the first joint. That's how big these are. Their M.O. is almost identical to the Nepenthes, though their prey is a lot smaller. They live on the ground, they like to be wet, and they are stupidly rare and expensive. Good luck getting your hands on one, because I've been quietly trying for months now with no luck

And lastly, special mention to the California pitcher plant, Darlingtonia (aka Cobra Lily). This one, this special gorgeous little sweetheart, is something completely different from Sarracenia. They've actually grown their pitcher upside down, and lure their prey inside by taking advantage of the misconception of insects that up = out. It's insidiously genius. They're native only to California U.S.A., and they're almost as hard to get ahold of as the Cephalotus. I have also been quietly trying to get one of these beauties for several months, with equally poor luck. Someday.