Sundew Flowers

 

I had a nice walk this week in the relative cool snap. This is the view from my favorite picnic spot at Franklin Parker Preserve in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. See that floating log in the lower right foreground? Click to enlarge. 

There were many such logs. Note the pretty red fringe along the top. It's sundew plants. They are among the famous carnivorous plants of the region. Their red leaves are covered with droplets of sticky fluid that trap insects. The plant digests them and incorporates their nutrients. It helps the plants get by in nutrient-poor soils. Sundews have made a career out of it.  

Right now they are flowering. That poses a small dilemma. How does a sticky insect-trapping plant avoid trapping an insect that it hopes will take some pollen and fly away to pollinate another plant's flower? They just grow long stems, stems that hold the flowers high above the traps. See the white flowers way up over the bushy red mass? Each stem ends in a flower and is lined with buds that will bloom sequentially. That's a great solution, you tricky plants! 

Tomatoes are Ripe and Ready

 

This year I planted full-sized tomatoes in my yard. I’ve grown cherry tomatoes before, but I’ve never tried the big ones. Yet, here I am in New Jersey, which is renowned for its tomatoes. The Campbell Soup Company started right here in Camden with ready-to-eat beefsteak tomato soup in a can in 1895. My tomatoes started to turn red this week. Above is the first one I picked. Click to enlarge. 

It was red right through and absolutely delicious. 

It starred in a classic sandwich with mayo, salt, and pepper. I am looking forward to many more this summer. Life is good!

Now I've got my eyes on this one. Coming along. Ready soon. Yum. 

Nuthatch Finds a Morsel

Here's a white-breasted nuthatch. They are common visitors to bird feeders throughout North America. I often see one pick up a seed, fly to a tree, cache the seed in a crevice, and then fly back for more. They also eat insects when they can find them. And they have a quirky way of walking headfirst down trees. 

Found something! Click to enlarge. 

I can't tell what it is, but it looks larval. Good foraging, nuthatch! 

Here's another white-breasted nuthatch striking a more noble pose. Note the cute slightly upturned beak and the pretty red feathers below. 

Happy Independence Day!

Have a great weekend!