Darlingtonia, or Encounter With A Carnivorous Plant

During our time in the Florence, Oregon, area, our base of operations was the Sutton campground in the Siuslaw National Forest. Only part of the campground was open this early in the year. Some sites have electricity, which of course, we chose. This was home for four days.

The campground lies between Highway 101 and the Pacific Ocean. We could hear the ocean in the distance but couldn't quite find our way there on foot. While hiking the trails around the campground, we learned about the Darlingtonia, a carnivorous plant. I had no idea such a plant was native to this area.

The Darlingtonia Californica grows in bogs along the coastline. It is commonly called the Cobra Lily because the leaf overhanging the flower resembles the head of a cobra snake in profile. The plant lures, traps, and digests insects.

One of our walks on the shady trails,

I stopped to watch fish feeding on insects at this wide, slow place in the creek. Every couple minutes there would be a little flash of silver and a splash.

It was so peaceful. The loudest sound was this woodpecker, only a few feet off the trail.

Another day, we visited dockside Florence

and went for another walk on the beach. We do that a lot lately.

Our last day in Florence, Sunday, we attended the local Lutheran church. They had recently lost their musician, so I offered to play. The congregation was so appreciative and nice. We were invited to join several of them for lunch at a local Asian restaurant afterward, which we did. Talk about extravagant hospitality!

What a perfect ending to our time in Florence. We look forward to coming here again.