meizwang Posted October 14, 2013 Report Share Posted October 14, 2013 (edited) I just got back from a road trip with my good friend Rob Co of The Pitcher Plant Project, and we had the opportunity to see cobra plants in the wild! This was the very first time Rob has ever seen any carnivorous plants in the wild, and it was exciting to see his reactions to the various places we visited. I had visited this exact red darlingtonia site last year, and in 2010, and they are consistently red year after year after year. There are also green plants at this site, which indicates the red is a genetic factor. While I have seen red plants at other sites, I've never seen any other site that contains such a dense population of pure reds. Indeed, this is quite a treat to visit, and it definitely required some off-road vehicles to reach. Here's D. californica 'RED' at the Alpine Farms site in del Norte Co, CA. It's nick-named alpine farms because a huge pot grow was found just above this seep many years ago. While we were driving up the road, there were people loading their guns, probably hunting some animals, but you never know: Red plants are usually a minority in most populations I've visited, but these reds were quite common at this site: not just colorful, but elegant: Zoomed out a little bit: The color is just awesome: No, these aren't photoshopped or altered in any way: this is their natural color: Another shot: bright red tongue: dense populations: And here's the seep: Edited October 29, 2014 by meizwang 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenofeden Posted October 14, 2013 Report Share Posted October 14, 2013 Wow beautiful plants! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Hingst Posted October 14, 2013 Report Share Posted October 14, 2013 Great site and lovely plants - thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannahraptor Posted October 14, 2013 Report Share Posted October 14, 2013 Incredible. Fred will be very jealous! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Long Posted October 14, 2013 Report Share Posted October 14, 2013 Just incredible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredG Posted October 14, 2013 Report Share Posted October 14, 2013 I don't get jealous Han, I just tend to drool profusely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corky Posted October 14, 2013 Report Share Posted October 14, 2013 wow ,amazing colours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luc Posted October 14, 2013 Report Share Posted October 14, 2013 Really thank you for this beautiful pictures is beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linuxman Posted October 14, 2013 Report Share Posted October 14, 2013 Fantastic colours Mike. Any chance of legally getting seed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HJ Kuz Posted October 14, 2013 Report Share Posted October 14, 2013 Amazing pics !! Thanks for sharing !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meizwang Posted October 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2013 Thank you everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackd.712 Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 I haven't words Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fischermans Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 Wow Incredible and beautiful plants. Alexander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North West Neps Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 Absolutely stunning ! Imagine pitching a tent and waking up to that view 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meizwang Posted October 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 Absolutely stunning ! Imagine pitching a tent and waking up to that view I thought the same thing, but boy was I wrong! At this site, it would be tough to find a spot to camp...it's tough to tell from the pictures, but this population is on the side of a cliff! We saw signs of bears and mountain lions everywhere, and believe me, I've camped out by myself in Darlingtonia country once, and NEVER again will I do that! In the middle of the night, I heard animals walking around the tent, and there was wind as well, which made it sound like someone was hitting the tent with their hands! I had the worst nightmares because all the sounds created the most creepy dreams. When the wind died down, it was dead silent, and you could hear even the smallest of insects moving in the leaves. Something big was definitely circling my tent, but I wasn't about to test my luck. I had a gun for protection, but believe me, it still doesn't make you feel safe. I left the site at 5am in the morning before the sun rose! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miso Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 great, thanks for sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Allan Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 These are truly spectacular. Many thanks for sharing. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meizwang Posted October 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 some new photos from this site, taken 10/11/14: First photo is one of my favorite shots: You can see the red colors at this site are genetically based: unbelievably red: 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoultsy11 Posted October 30, 2014 Report Share Posted October 30, 2014 That's a lot of plants! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notostracan Posted October 30, 2014 Report Share Posted October 30, 2014 Wow, nice shots and very interesting posts :). Â Time for me to get some Dralingtonia now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gauthier Posted October 30, 2014 Report Share Posted October 30, 2014 Dark colorations on Darlingtonias are really splendid! I'd like to see it in real, maybe one day... Â Always beautiful pictures, thank you Mike! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis J. Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 Beautiful!   I wonder how much of the red coloration is due to environmental stresses and how much of it is related to genetic factors  - Denis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Evans Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 It is mostly genetics. Â The physically damaged areas also shows red color, but of course you can see the damage too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fischermans Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 Love them.Are they standing more sunny or more shady? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partisangardener Posted December 26, 2014 Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 A good new year to all. About what elevation is Alpine Farms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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