Cattle grazing and misplaced priorities (v2.0)
-- Cobra Lilies --
Each spring, Cobra Lilies send up flower stalks. The flowers are held
high above the leaves, so the plant will not eat its pollinators!
In this photo, you start to get an understanding of the habitat in
my study site (which is similar in many respects to other Cobra Lily
habitats). It is a
clearing
in the pine woods, fringed by alders; the soil is
water-saturated, mucky, and easily damaged by heavy footfalls;
the native plants are often very specialized for this unique habitat,
and include true lilies, orchids, broom-rape,
and elephant-head.
Wetland areas such as this,
kept moist by water percolating along the surface are often
referred to as "seeps."
