Date: Tue, 3 Aug 1999 13:21:49 -0600 From: "Christensen" <chrst@srv.net> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2794$foo@default> Subject: couldn't find cps
Recently, I had an overnight trip into the hills to
an area called High Basin, in the South Eastern area
of Idaho. There was some wet and mucky ground that
seemed suitable for carnivorous plants but I couldn't
find any.
Description of mucky areas:
The soil was grey to black and seemed to have a silty
texture. A kind of moss often covered
the soil (not sphagnum). Little insects, the right size
for Pings and Drosera, were very common- an estimate of
10 insects per square foot. A film of water was often on
the soil surface when the moss was absent and slow
movement was observed. A particular kind of grass grew in
the moist areas and each grass plant seemed to have a
certain amount of space between itself and its neighbor.
I assume the grass wasn't dense because of a lack of
nutrients. The leaf blades were about 1 foot high.
Sometimes I found some clusters of duckweed.
Description of the creek:
Nearby the mucky areas there was a small creek/stream.
The same kind of grass that grew in the mucky areas also
grew along the edges of the creek with some other kinds of
grasses. I frequently found clusters of duckweed and
growths of liverworts on the stream banks. Apparently,
the duckweed doesn't always grow in water.
Yes, I'm sure it was duckweed. I had a piece of duckweed
growing on deat peat moss, not long ago, in one of my Utric
pots. However, at this time, it doesn't look happy.
I did find a flowering plant and it had a flower that looked
like a Utric flower so I uprooted a couple plants and
inspected the roots for tiny Utric traps. I didn't see any
traps and the roots looked like ordinary roots.
Could the presence of liverworts and duckweeds be a sign that
the conditions aren't ideal for cps, but close? Maybe, the
humidity was good but the soil was too rich for carnivorous
plants?
Also, cows were there. I could see evidence of cows along
the edge of the creek- cow pies and hoof prints.
While I was in the High Basin area (on the hills and rocks),
I found some little succulent plants, an Opuntia looking cacti,
and a xerophytic fern!
I didn't find any carnivorous plants. The area I searched, I
think it stays moist all year. Cold weather shouldn't be a
problem- a barrier to colonization. Maybe the area is too
isolated and/or too young and the cps haven't colonized it, yet?
Any comments?
Chad from Shelley, ID (between Blackfoot and Idaho Falls)
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