Kew Gardens (London)

I spent some days with my girlfriend in London, including a visit to the Kew Gardens which I really recommend. I did not know if there where CPs in them, until I discovered a little room in the Princess of Wales Conservatory where they are all grown. There are also some Nephentes in the Temperate and the Waterlily House.

There are many Sarracenia and Drosera species and a few Nephentes, Dionaea and Utricularia. I could also see some healthy specimens of Roridula gorgonias and Drosophyllum lusitanicum.  There is a small Cephalotus follicularis in a corner and some Heliamphora nutans, with some clumps of large specimens.

Enjoy the pics!

Nepenthes ampullaria red pitcher, in the Waterlily House

Tuberous Drosera sp.

Roridula gorgonias with flowers

More Roridula gorgonias with flowers

Macro of leaf from R. gorgonias, showing hairs and glands

Leaf tips of R. gorgonias, showing hairs and glands

A big clump of S. purpurea

 
Drosophyllum lusitanicum (yes, exactly the one I did not find in my trip in Spring '08)

Closed flowers of D. lusitanicum

Macro shoot of D. lusitanicum leaf, a bit blurred

Nice clump of H. nutans

More H. nutans

Macro shots

It has been a long time since my last post. After hundreds of inquiries about the future of Plantaland I've decided to write a new post. This time, I'll share with you some macro shots I got with the invaluable collaboration and expertise of V.M.D. Not close enough? Click on the pics to see a larger image! Enjoy!

Drosera filiformis

Drosera filiformis developing leaf

Drosera scorpioides

Byblis liniflora leaf

Dionaea muscipula malformed trap with prey

Byblis liniflora flower bud

Pinguicula grandiflora in Picos de Europa (Spain)

I spent some days in Asturias (Spain) hiking over the beautiful Natural Park of Picos de Europa and visiting the impressive beaches around Llanes. I had the opportunity to see hundreds of Pinguicula during the whole trip. They could be easily seen at the sides of the mountain roads and in many wet spots in the countryside. They were virtually omnipresent along some walking paths over north-facing slopes.

I could see many P. grandiflora colonies in the mountains surrounding the Covadonga lakes. Plants were notably present in north-facing slopes below 1800m approximately. Above that altitude I could not see any P. grandiflora. At this altitude, the plants were still flowering, while at 1500m approximately some seed pods were already present. At some points the plants where entirely covered by grasses, and only the characteristic flowers where visible.

Pinguicula grandiflora near the Cotalba summit, at 1750m approx.

Pinguicula grandiflora flowers near Cotalba peak, at 1750m approx.

Pinguicula grandiflora near Enol lake, at 1500m approx.

I also found spectacular Pinguicula colonies at the Cares canyon, while walking through its well known route. No plants were flowering, so I could not determine their exact species. In these areas, P. grandiflora and P. vulgaris are common.

A massive colony of Pinguicula sp. at the Cares canyon

Detail of the colony of Pinguicula sp.

Drosophyllum lusitanicum near Ubrique (Spain)

I had the opportunity to drive through the Natural Park of Los Alcornocales, in Andalusia (Spain) during a trip from Granada to Huelva. I had read in Das Taublatt and in the CPUK Forum that in that region, Drosophyllum lusitanicum could be easily spotted. So I planned it all, I double-checked the directions about locations, I took my cam with extra batteries (just in case), my laptop with a 3G modem (just in case I needed some more info) and I drove to Ubrique.

I was absolutely sure about the easiness of finding Drosophyllum there. I repeated to myself "It's easy: look for red soil, Erica and Cistus and there it'll be".

From the astonishing vast amount of pictures below you can imagine the result of my trip.

No plants. No pics. No joy. :(

Disclaimer: I must say in self-defense that many places of the roadsides had been recently disturbed as road works were being performed. To make things worse, I had less than 2 hours to look for the plants. I must thank my girlfriend for coming with me to look for CPs. You may suppose that she is not exactly a CP fan.