Located in Darlingtonia State Natural Site and placed with permission. This area is the only Oregon state park dedicated to the protection of a single plant species, Darlingtonia californica. Also called cobra lily, this rare, strangely-shaped plant is the only member of the pitcher plant family (Sarraceniaceae) in Oregon. Collecting Darlingtonia samples is illegal in Oregon. Darlingtonia plants are found in serpentine soils and sphagnum fens arising from wet sands on coastal plains near Florence.
Besides its parking area and boardwalk, Darlingtonia State Natural Site offers a small picnic area.
A wetland is a land area that is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, such that it takes on characteristics that distinguish it as a distinct ecosystem. The primary factor that distinguishes wetlands is the characteristic vegetation that is adapted to its unique soil conditions. There are four major kinds of wetlands; swamps, marshes, bogs and fens.
| Bog |
Peat accumulation usually dominated by moss. Receives only direct precipitation; characterized by acid water, low alkalinity, and low nutrients.
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| Fen |
Peat accumulation; may be dominated by sedge, reed, shrub or forest. Receives some surface runoff and/or ground water, which has neutral pH and moderate to high nutrients.
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| Marsh |
Permanently or periodically inundated site characterized by nutrient-rich water. In Europe, must have a mineral substrate and lack peat accumulation.
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| Swamp |
Characterized by forest, shrub, or reed cover (fen). Particularly a forested wetland in North America. Depends on nutrient-rich ground water derived from mineral soils.
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For the purpose of this earthcache we will be focusing on the wetland categories of fens and bogs. Fens and bogs can easily be confused one for another because of their similarities.
Bogs and their close cousins, fens are biologically fascinating wetlands. Bogs and fens differ from other wetland categories by having a substrate composed of organic material, typically in the form of peat and muck. Both fen and bogs are collectively called peatlands. Their deep peat layers offer a glimpse into the geologic past; seeds, plant parts, and even animals may remain intact in the acidic peat for thousands of years.
Like bogs, fens formed when glaciers retreated. Grasses and sedges are common plants in fens and fens often look like meadows. They are like bogs because they have peat deposits in them, but unlike bogs some of their water comes from small streams and groundwater. The main difference between a fen and a bog is that fens have greater water exchange and are less acidic, so their soil and water are richer in nutrients. Fens are often found near bogs and over time most fens become bogs. Insects like mosquitoes and horseflies are common in fens as are amphibians, insect-eating birds and mammals like shrews, voles and muskrats.
Most wetlands in Oregon that have been called "bogs" are actually fens. Oregon's fens occur in depressions on various landforms, particularly in interdunal troughs, headwall basins, and floodplains.
So what is the relationship between fens and carnivorous plants like Darlingtonia Californica?
In nutrient-poor habitats, like fens, plants find life difficult because the necessary chemicals they need to survive are in short supply. They grow more slowly than usual, reproduce less, and are more prone to disease. Quite literally they are starving!
Meanwhile, carnivorous plants can obtain nutrients through their remarkable abilities. Catching bugs gives the carnivorous plants a competitive advantage over the non carnivorous plants. While the non carnivorous plants grow poorly, carnivorous plants can thrive.
To qualify as a "find", email, (do not post online), the answers to the following questions. Please send your answers at the same time you log your find. Failure to due that in a timely manner will result in a log deletion. If you are vacationing and not able access your notes please log a note until you can submit your answers.
At the posted coordinates answer the following question:
1) What manmade object is located here? (Hint: It is not the sign.)
Now proceed to WP1 and use the nearby interpretive sign.
2) Once inside the hood what confuses the insects?
3) Make at least three observations at the boardwalk area that would support it being a wetland.
4) Post a picture of you or your GPSr with some of the Cobra Lilies. We hope you have learned a thing or two about Darlingtonia californica and thanks for visiting the Darlingtonia State Natural Site.
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Warning: Earthcaches come with a unique set of rules and activities that must be met
before successfully logging. Failure to comply will result in a log deletion.
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