Nineteenth-century naturalists, including Darwin, found carnivorous plants intriguing, and the more flowery writers pronounced them "bloodthirsty," "nefarious," and "cruel." They deserve none of these slurs, of course. These enterprising plants are just supplementing their nutrient income in a sluggish bog economy by ingesting insect and animal prey. A good bog outing will reveal several cunning techniques.

In midsummer, the flowers of the horned bladderwort dot the bog mat with golden yellow. This sunny display belies a tricky technology—below the surface, the plant's leaves are equipped with small hair-triggered capsules. At the touch of tiny organisms these bladder traps implode, sucking their catch inside.

The sundew is a jewel-like plant with all the glitter of a Fabergé egg. Its specialized leaves glisten with dewy drops—captivating and deadly. An unwitting insect landing here will find itself perilously stuck, as the leaf curls slowly shut to smother and digest it. On a buggy June day in the North Country, we can watch (with varying degrees of sympathy) many a black fly come to an icky, sticky end.

Pitcher plants are perhaps most intriguing of the bogland booby traps. Their jug-shaped leaves are exquisitely evolved to hold water and ensnare prey. Unfortunate insects, attracted by the leaf color and smell, are directed in by downward-pointing hairs. Unable to back out, victims fall and drown in the plants' digestive fluid.

In this context of struggle and treachery, the discovery of an orchid is a delightful surprise. In true bogs, the grass pink is perhaps the most common of this long-admired family. Its cheerful blooms wave about on leggy stems like hovering bogland butterflies. Other beauties in this habitat include rose pogonia, Arethusa, and white-fringed orchids.

See for yourself
Bog watchers beware—these places may bewitch you. Grace Greylock Niles, author of Bog-trotting for Orchids (1904), clearly heard the siren call. In hunting boots, rubber gloves, and short skirt, she "stood long in wonderment and silent adoration before this fragrant beauty of the weird and lonely bogland. Nature's remote solitude indeed was peacefully hidden here."

In the Northeast, bogs can be found as far south as Pennsylvania, but the most extensive bogs are found in Maine. AMC's Katahdin Iron Works property in Maine's 100-Mile Wilderness region contains Caribou Bog, a 300-acre peatland with mountain views. Paddlers on North Country lakes will find pitcher plants, orchids, and other interesting bog plants along acidified shorelines.

When you go, practice thoughtful wilderness etiquette and go lightly. Stay on existing trails and boardwalks to protect yourself and the fragile terrain. Do not collect plants or animals. Bring sunblock and bug spray. And watch your step—it's wet.

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