I’ve always found carnivorous plants fascinating. The idea of a plant, which so many other creatures on the planet use for food, that actually sets out bait and traps insects to consume is like something out of a science fiction novel. Seymour may be famous but the Drummond’s Pitcher plant with it’s three inch red flowers is certainly prettier.
Drummond’s Pitcher Plant is native to Atlantic coastal regions ranging from Virginia to Florida. It is believed to have been included among the first of America’s plants to be recognized in print. Explorer John Henry Bauhin published a plant history in Switzerland in 1650. The current scientific name didn’t come until later.
The Drummond’s Pitcher plant was one of many plant images showcased in The Native Flowers and Ferns of the United States. It is a chromolithograph selected by the author Thomas Meehan for his 1880 book. Unfortunately, he did not credit a particular illustrator for creating this colorful botanical print.
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.
