Alright let's get the gemmae going

I recently reduced the photoperiod on my plants to conform with the natural photoperiod right now. I'm hoping my pygmies start developing gemmae soon. I think Drosera allantostigma is getting started.

I definitely need more D. allantostigma in my life.

I know some people are already harvesting gemmae, so I'm a bit late to the game. This is my first winter with my collection though, so I'm learning how best to encourage gemmae growth.

Of course, I have other plants, which are also getting a reduced photoperiod. I'll see how that affects them. Drosera burmannii is looking a bit weird. It might be the photoperiod (since in habitat they're usually an annual), and it may be that they got a little bit dry recently.

So red! That's what happens when they don't get fed for a while.

It's a bit hard to see, but several of the plants have lost their dew and the leaves are looking a little shriveled. I just fed this pot (and several more), so maybe they'll bounce back.

Another plant that has given up on the dew is my main Drosera adelae.

Things are going a little bit crazy in here.

Now, this isn't really a problem, considering how many D. adelae I have sprouting out of every corner of this pot (and also from roots that have grown out the bottom). Still, it's really funny that just that one plant is looking fried.

Happy Halloween everyone! Feed some bugs to your plants today.

Flower stalk on Utricularia calcyfida

I've got some action over in my Utricularia calycifida pot.

U. calycifida is in section Foliosa. They have bigger "leaves".

I like the little mound.

I really like this plant. It's been growing pretty solidly and spreading in the pot. Now it looks like I'm going to get a flower stalk!

I've been reading a bit about foliar fertilizing on Utricularia lately, and think maybe I should give it a shot. I feed my Drosera at least once a month, but my Utrics don't get any love. Maybe there would be even more blooming and spreading then.

Things are a little funny over in the Utricularia livida pot.

Getting a little messy over here.

First of all there are those weird leaves that some people have suggested might be Utricularia tricolor. Secondly, the peat is all pushed up and furrowed. I don't really know why. Maybe I have earthworms in here? I don't know where they would have come from. The plants look pretty healthy anyway.

Finally, my Utricularia graminifolia is growing in again after I traded a couple chunks away.

Sort of growing in. I should experiment with different methods with this plant.

I had this growing in a windowsill earlier, and I feel like it was going a bit faster then. It's under lights right now. I'll leave it for a couple more months and see if it really wants that filtered sunlight instead. I've read that natural light is important to get it to bloom. Who knows.

Utrics are weird.

A thief among the Sarracenia

I went out today to water my Sarracenia and I found a tricky thief laying in wait on Sarracenia leucophylla (Hurricane Creek, AL).

This is a lazy freeloading mantis.

It took a while for me to get a shot in focus and the little guy was getting a little antsy, so I don't have any better close ups. Hope he catches a couple snacks!

Also outside is my Venus fly-trap (Dionaea muscipula), which is all kinds of confused. It's growing a bunch of spring traps and is in flower.

A grim warning to careless insects.

Pretty cute! I should clip it before the seeds form at least.

On the one hand I'm pleased to see it looking so good, since it had kind of been sulking over the summer. On the other hand the flower stalk is draining energy from the plant (I should have clipped it), and winter is coming. Our winters are pretty mild though, and it's catching lots of prey, so I suspect it'll be fine. This is a tissue culture plant too, which might account for some of its weird behavior.

Finally, the Dionaea 'B-52' that I bought from Brie a month or so ago seems to be settling in and has a bit of new growth.

Getting settled in it seems.

Really looking forward to seeing the big time traps in spring!

Pinguicula gigantea is back in action

This last weekend plus I was in Chicago visiting my girlfriend's family and checking out some of the sights (the Chicago Botanical Garden was quite nice). Over the weekend I also reached 100 likes on the Sundews Etc. Facebook page! It was nice for it to coincide with my 100th post. I'm glad so many people like reading about my plants.

My Pinguicula gigantea decided to celebrate by opening up a new flower, the first in several months.

Always the most cheerful bloom in the collection.

I love this plant! It's such a trooper. Although I really ought to separate off those pups so it can divide some more for me. Also I've heard that people have pretty decent luck propagating this one with leaf pulls. We'll see. I always want to be doing more propagation.

On a totally different note, I like to see the occasional Utricularia bisquamata flower.

Itty bitty U. bisquamata flower.

Yeah yeah, it's a weed, but it's a pretty pleasant one. At least the flowers are cute and the "foliage" is reasonably handsome when it's thick.

My Drosera burmannii haven't gotten the memo that they don't need to bloom anymore.

Getting so red!

They are looking pretty healthy though, and have really recovered from the over-blooming of the last couple months. Could afford to be fed; they're getting pretty red.

Drosera ultramafica x spatulata though, is just showing off.

Keep on blooming little guy.

Never stops blooming, but it never matters because this is an incredibly vigorous (although sterile) hybrid. This would make for an excellent beginner sundew.

Drosera madagascariensis is almost done blooming, but the lean is getting pretty serious.

Some serious lean on these D. madagascariensis plants.

I think it's weird that such a frail little plant has such a huge flower stalk. I guess in habitat it must be more of a creeper than an upright species. Just a bit more little guy, you can do it!

Thanks for reading everybody.

100th post! I photographed the whole collection!

I've been blogging about my carnivorous plants for about 7 months now, and it's been a lot of fun. I get to share my plants with hundreds of people all around the world. It has also been great taking so many pictures for the blog – my collection is exceedingly well-documented, and I can see how different plants look as they grow and mature in my collection.

In celebration of all of this, I've decided to take a picture of every pot in my collection – all my plants. This post is a bit of a doozy. Enjoy.

Outdoor growing with Sarracenia and Dionaea.

Sarracenia x formosa (psittacina x minor)

Sarracenia purpurea

S. purpurea yearling, indoors

Sarracenia minor (Orange County, FL)

Sarracenia leucophylla "Titan"

Sarracenia leucophylla (Hurricane Creek, AL)

Sarracenia jonesii

Sarracenia flava var. maxima

Sarracenia "Dana's Delight"

Sarracenia alata "Heavy Veins" (Stone County, MO)

Sarracenia 'Abandoned Hope'

Dionaea muscipula, typical (Venus flytrap)

Dionaea 'B-52'. This recent acquisition is still settling in.

NOID Nepenthes, probably N. ventricosa.

Pinguicula moranensis GG

Pinguicula lusitanica, hopefully.

Pinguicula laueana x emarginata

Pinguicula gigantea

Pinguicula 1717

Utricularia sandersonii blue form

Utricularia sandersonii white form. Darn moss!

Utricularia praelonga and friend

Utricularia longifolia

Utricularia livida

Utricularia gramnifolia

Utricularia calcyfida

Utricularia gemniscapa. I don't recommend growing aquatic Utrics this way :p

Dionaea 'B-52' leaf pulling

Summer Batch seedling tray

Summer Batch leaf cutting tray

Drosera sessilifolia (Chapada dos Guimaraes, Brazil) seedlings

Drosera natalensis seedlings

Drosera burmannii "Giant Red" (Hahn River, Kimberly, WA, Australia)

Drosera aliciae seedlings

Drosera ultramafica x spatulata plantlets

Drosera 'Marston Dragon' plantlets

Drosera 'Marston Dragon' plantlets

Drosera filiformis Florida Red plantlets

Drosera capensis typical. My first carnivorous plant!

Drosera capensis typical

Drosera capensis typical windowbox

Drosera capensis red form

Drosera capensis 'Albino'

Drosera capensis 'Albino'

Drosera capensis broad leaf

Drosera capensis (Bainskloof, South Africa)

Drosera scorpioides

Drosera scorpioides

Drosera scorpioides

Drosera pygmaea

Drosera helodes

Drosera enodes

Drosera dichrosepala

Drosera callistos

Drosera allantostigma

Drosera spiralis

Drosera 'Marston Dragon'

Drosera binata

Drosera binata

Drosera adelae

Drosera adelae

Drosera prolifera

Drosera nidiformis

Drosera madagascariensis, (Masoa, Madagascar)

Drosera collinsiae Faryland

Drosera affinis (Namibia)

Drosera venusta

Drosera aliciae

Drosera admirabilis

Drosera spatulata

Drosera spatulata 'Kanto'

Drosera intermedia 'Cuba'

Drosera intermedia 'Cuba'

Drosera intermedia 'Cuba'

Drosera x tokaiensis

Drosera ultramafica x spatulata

Drosera hamiltonii (WA, Australia)

Drosera hamiltonii (Esperance, SW Australia)

Drosera filiformis Florida Red

Drosera capillaris (Alabama)

Drosera capillaris (Alabama)

Drosera brevifolia (Kountze, TX)

Drosera anglica CA x HI

Drosera anglica CA x HI

Community pot!

Drosera burmannii (Humpty Doo, NT, Australia)

Drosera burmannii (Humpty Doo, NT, Australia)