According to Dr. Barry Rice, expert botanist focusing on carnivorous plants, Butterfly Valley in the Plumas National Forest is a great place to observe some of California’s most interesting animal-consuming flora. Dr. Rice clued us into the lives of these fascinating plants with his captivating talk last November in the chapter program entitled “Murderous Plants-Botanical Predators that Hunt on Our Planet”. (You can access a recording of this awesome talk on our website under the “Education and Resources” menu, and “Presentation”. Select “2025 Presentations” and “Murderous Plants Video”.)
From the US Forest Service about Butterfly Valley:
“The Butterfly Valley Botanical Area, the home of the California Pitcher Plant (Darlingtonia californica), is an Eden of natural splendor. The California Pitcher Plant is a rare and unusual carnivorous plant that only grows in scattered boggy areas from southern Oregon down through northern California where the Sierra and Cascades meet. Also known as the Cobra Lily, Darlingtonia has a unique leaf adaptation that allows it to capture and digest insects to gather nutrients for the plant. The long snake-like leaf has an opening under the top of the leaf with small sun-lit windows that attract flies, bees and other insects into the tube. The waxy smoothness of the upper portions of the chamber provides the next step in the one-way trip to the waiting doom below. Downward pointing hairs on the inside of the lower leaf tube force insects down to a pool of secreted plant juices where the insects decompose and provide nutrients to the plant.
In addition to the rare California Pitcher Plant, there are three other species of insectivorous plants (common and lesser bladderwort, and round-leaved sundew), 12 species of orchids including lady slipper, 24 species of plants in the Lily family, nine species of ferns and fern relatives, as well as poppy, buttercup, and wild rose. The list of vascular plants found here exceeds 500 species.”
Our plan is to meet in Quincy, California on the day of the field trip, Wednesday, June 17, and to carpool up to Butterfly Valley, with stops along the road to see more botanical wonders of the Plumas Forest. (Details on exactly where and when to meet will be sent to registered participants about one week before the trip.) Because Butterfly Valley is some distance away, you may wish to travel to and stay in Quincy the day before the trip.
