i84 WILD FLOWER FAMILIES 



If now you examine the structure of the leaf 

 you cannot fail to be impressed with its perfec- 

 tion as an insect trap. Throughout most of its 

 length it is a closed tube : at the top it is open but 

 the upper parts of the leaf are well adapted to 

 sending insects to the watery grave below. The 

 whole mouth of the pitcher is thickly covered with 

 spinous hairs that point oblicjuely downward, so 

 that a fly is likely to find difficulty in crawling 

 upward on them. The leaf is also colored, wher- 

 ever the veins run, in a puiplish red that is 

 believed to be attractive to certain sorts of flies. 



In the latitude of southern New England the 

 Pitcher Plants blossom early in June. The flow- 

 ers are striking objects borne on long stems that 

 turn downward at the top. They are visited by 

 queen bumble-bees that gather pollen and bring 

 about the cross-fertilization of the blossoms. A 

 peat bog with a number of these flowers hanging 

 above the moss is one of the most interesting 

 sights in the world of flowers. 



OBSERVATIONS FOR NOTEBOOK 



Pitcher Plant: 



(A) I. Have you ever come across pitcher plants 

 growing wild ? Where ? 



2. Were the roots growing in earth or in moss? 



3. Is water to be found in the pitchers out of 



doors ? 



