…is an arresting, humorous/sinister/beautiful composition by Carla Bley. (for more, see footnote at bottom of this post)
Probably, Carla was inspired by some fellow Americans – Venus Flytraps.
Possibly, she had in mind the spectacular pitcher plants that lurk in Asian jungles.
However, the hottest spot for carnivorous plants is somewhere Carla has never ventured – Western Australia’s southwest corner, where more than 25% of “our” planet’s flowering carnivore species live, exclusively.
Many have exquisitely delicate flowers and look like they wouldn’t hurt a fly.
The overwhelming majority of Western Australia’s photosynthesising carnivores are members of the Drosera genus, generally known as “sundews”.
Strictly speaking, the “fleur carnivore” tag does not fit; sundews’ “traps”/“teeth”/“stomachs” are their sticky, hairy parts.
Sundews do not wish to kill their pollinators, so the flowers sit atop the rest of the plant, well clear of the “threat zone”.
(you can see a little of the lethal apparatus – in soft focus – in the featured image, above, taken in the Rica Erickson Reserve on Monday. Click here for a guide+map that shows where it is, along with other choice locations, all within day-tripping distance of Perth)
A future post will explore/feature the wonderful world of WA’s sundews, if you cannot wait to learn and see more, click here.
The greatest Spring flowering on earth is now happening in southwest WA, and this year’s is the greatest in many years.
All usual “hotspots” are now very hot.…and in 2021 there are beautiful surprises to be had, even in places where one would not expect to see wildflowers.
Pink Fairy orchids – Caladenia latifolia – are not at all uncommon in bushy/foresty places in and near Perth, but in nearly four decades worth of frequent walks around Lake Monger, I had never before encountered them there.
Footnote:
Fleur Carnivore was the titlepiece of the “live” album by Carla Bley’s Very Big Band.
Recorded in 1988, issued in 1989, it is unavailable to freeloaders, but well worth purchasing; if you subscribe to one of the “right” streaming services – those that include ECM releases – you already have access to it.