Thursday, June 27, 2013
Dabney S. Lancaster Community
College
Clifton Forge, Virginia
We had a light-to-moderate rain as we walked along the boardwalk. The wet spring
and early summer made for high water in the bogs.
Plants are the attraction of the Cranberry Glades
Huge Cinnamon Ferns cover large areas of the glades and forest.
The Grass-Pink Orchids were in full bloom.
The sticky Sundews are small insectivorous plants nestled among sphagnum moss.
Pitcher Plants are the other insectivorous plant in the bogs.
The "pitchers" are modified leaves at the bottom of the plant. Here
you can clearly see the hairs that trap insects in the pitchers where they are
digested by the plant.
It's not all plants. Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds are attracted to feeders at
the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center.