Northern Pitcher Plant - Sarracenia purpurea (with midge)

*This photo shows a midge that was dead in the pitcher -- trapped by the recurved hairs.

In all the years that I've been visiting this bog, this year marked two firsts:
1. This is the first summer that these plants haven't bloomed
2. It's the first time I've seen red-striped pitchers. Usually they are plain green or reddish brown. Today, I found several pitchers that were practically lime green and had a red-striped pattern on the inside, as shown in this photo.

This plant has pitcher-like leaves that collect water. Insects that are attracted to the plant fall into the pitcher and then have a hard time crawling back out because the bottom of the pitchers have smooth surfaces, in addition to recurved hairs near the top. So, trapped insects will eventually fall into the water that collects at the bottom of the pitcher and drown. The plant secretes enzymes, which help digest the insects. However, most of the breakdown is passive and results from bacterial activity.

Habitat: Bog