Cobra Lily Trap Colouring

The cobra lily is a remarkable North American pitcher plant named for leaves that resemble raised cobras. Its scientific name is Darlingtonia californica. It grows naturally only in northern California and southwestern Oregon in the United States. Look for it in sunny spring-fed bogs, cool seeps, wet meadows and beside trickling streams. The soil is poor in nutrients, but cool moving water protects the roots from overheating. Each upright leaf is hollow and curves into a rounded hood. Below the entrance hangs a forked, tongue-like appendage that helps give the plant its snake-like appearance. Tall flower stalks may carry nodding reddish-purple and green flowers above the pitchers. An ant or other insect is attracted by sweet nectar along the forked tongue and around the opening. Once it walks beneath the hood, pale window-like patches let in light. These false exits can confuse the visitor and guide it farther into the tube instead of back outside. Slippery surfaces and downward-pointing hairs make climbing out difficult. The insect eventually falls into liquid at the bottom. Unlike some pitcher plants, the cobra lily relies greatly on bacteria and the small creatures living inside its pitcher to break down captured prey. Nutrients released from that tiny ecosystem are absorbed by the leaf. Many insects visit the nectar and leave safely, so every visitor does not become a meal. Wild plants should stay in their special wetland homes, where trampling, collecting and changes to water flow can harm them. Colour the tall tubes light green, then add red or purple veins around the hoods and forked tongues. The window patches can stay white, pale yellow or very light green so they look bright. Try brown, black or rusty red for the ant, and use a different colour for the insect visible in the cutaway. The trickling water can be pale blue, the stones grey, tan or lavender, and the bog grasses several shades of green. Smooth upward pencil strokes will make the hollow pitchers look tall. Use darker colour near the trap entrance and lighter colour on the windows to show why an insect might follow the glow deeper into the mysterious hood.

◫ A4 size✎ Bold outlines♡ Ages 3–8

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