A lovely Sunday afternoon. Let's go check out Ponkapoag instead of watching the Patriots lose. Regrettably, the trail was flooded half way through. But I found what I was looking for: sundews!
Before we turn to the sundews, a brief pitcher plant check. They seem more abundant this year compared to my visit last year around this time.
A peek inside...mosquitos.
Now, the sundews. They are smaller than you may think and easy to miss but fairly abundant amongst the spagnum, and even attached to the planks of the boardwalk in some places.
And they seem to be having pretty good success with bug catching.
There are actually two different species at Ponkapoag, round leaf and spatula leaf (above).
I love the way they curl up around their prey.
A titmouse seems to have met its maker near the trail, feathers scattered all around. This arrangement caught my eye.
Seems to sum up the bog's weird beauty.
4 comments:
I've been trying to find the sundews this year, but haven't found any in their usual spot, along the edge of our pond, in Western Mass. I guess I'll have to get down on my hands and knees!
Great closeup photos of them, by the way. I know they're really tiny!
I'm adding your blog to my favorites, very interesting!
Ha! How did you know I had to get down on my hands and knees! A bit awkward on a teetering blog boardwalk. But it had to be done. Good luck finding them near you!
Hello, I too have been trying to find sundews and haven't had any luck. I'm putting together a walking tour for an environmental non-profit that I work for called Save Habitat and Diversity of Wetlands, and I know that we do have sundews in our bog. I'm just not sure where. Could I use one of your lovely photos in our guide?
Thank you,
Charity Villines
Hi Charity,
I am very happy to help a good cause. You are welcome to use any images you want (I wouldn't mind credit/a link back).
Sundews are tiny, which I didn't realize at first. If you look closely at the edges of the boardwalk you might be able to find them
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