Dogwood Alliance

And quickly, it’s become clear to us that of all the things Wilmington has become famous for – Dawson’s Creek, massive sprawl, more lattes than you can shake a stick at - the Green Swamp is by far its most awesome asset.

We got to town last Wednesday but it didn’t take us long to book it out of the office and out to the swamp. We were able to head out to Brunswick County just West of town and tromp around the forests of the Green Swamp with Mark Todd, a most amazing tour guide from Supply, NC. Mark grew up in Brunswick County and still lives there. He’s also active with the North American Sarracenia Society. For those out there who don’t know what that means (as I so ashamedly did not before I met Mark), Sarracenia is the genus of a set of 9 unique and incredible carnivorous plants. Carnivorous plants…!? I know. That was my reaction too. But it’s true! These plants, many of which are endemic to the area of the Green Swamp, will essentially tempt insects with their sweet smells and beautiful blooms to come and hang out where they have strategically evolved to trap them in a kind of poisonous liquid. The Sarracenias, or Pitcher Plants, as they’re more commonly known, then use the nutrients from the decomposing insects to grow and flourish.

Woah! Feels like an episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy, right? But it’s all for real and on Sunday we got to take it all in.

After an hour or so of just trekking around and soaking up the sun, listening to the wind up in the pines, and having Mark tell us more about the different plants and animals species unique here in the Green Swamp of North Carolina, we commenced our search for the wild and illusive-in-winter, Venus Fly Trap. In summer, I’m told, these guys can grow quite large, in clumps of 5, 10, or 20 plants all together. But at this time in the winter they like to hide out under the grasses and fallen pine needles. So, we had to scavenge, digging around in the dirt and grass, scouring the ground beneath our feet, practically listening for the sound of the fly trap, until at last we found some! Actually, I found them! I was rather proud, being a native North-Easterner originally, but I quickly forgot my pride and just got wrapped up in the amazing quality and fragility of these amazing plants.

To think that we’re jeopardizing the habitat where these plants have traditionally flourished for centuries is even more unconscionable having now seen them in action. With any luck, come the spring, our campaign will be humming and the Sarracenias will be blooming. Que viva los sarracenias!

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