184 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: atthe 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 obliquely 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 purplish 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) 1. 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? 
