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Seepage Bog
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Upon exiting the cave, the visitor enters a pitcher
plant bog that was modeled after bog communities around Eglin Air
Force Base. Seepage bogs are characterized by saturated, highly
acidic, sandy soil and are dominated by low growing plant species,
such as grasses and carnivorous plants. Proceeding past the diorama,
visitors experience a change in scale where they encounter larger-than-life
pitcher plants. |
Move to Apalachicola River > >
FOCUS ON: Carnivorous Plants
Seepage bogs of the Florida panhandle and adjacent states have the greatest
diversity of pitcher plants on the continent, supporting more than half
of the 45 North American carnivorous plant species. Today undisturbed
bogs are very rare. Over 97% of the bogs throughout Florida, Alabama,
Mississippi and Louisiana have disappeared because of human activities.
Preserving these habitats will allow us to continue to study and enjoy
a variety of carnivorous plants, one of nature's most unusual flora, in
the future.
Types Of Trapping Mechanisms
Active |
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Sundews have leaves with fine hairs that are coated
with a glue-like fluid. When an insect struggles, it becomes mired
in the sticky gel. The leaves on some sundews fold around the prey
and secrete digestive enzymes. |
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Butterworts have passive adhesive traps with no
moving parts. Insects eventually die after becoming mired in the
sticky coating on the plant's leaves. |
| Closing Trap |
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Venus flytraps have leaves that snap shut when insects
brush against hair-like triggers. |
| Pitfall Trap |
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Pitcher plants have downward-pointing hairs and
produce waxy secretions inside their vase-shaped leaves to prevent
insects from escaping. Insects may be attracted to nectar which
has a narcotic effect and aids in drowning. |
| Trap Door |
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Aquatic bladderworts have underwater bladders that
trap small invertebrates and an occasional small fish. Hairs trigger
a trap door to open, water carrying prey rushes in, and the trap
closes. |
