This unusual plant eats meat! It is the Darlingtonia, also known as Cobra Lily, and it traps and digests insects.
So there are no flies at The Darlingtonia Wayside, a small area set aside as a botanial preserve for the plant. It is near Florence, Oregon, just across the street (Highway 1) from the Ocean.
This wayside stop is just a few yards off the highway. There's a short boardwalk that takes you past a couple of the swampy areas where they grow.
Way back when we lived in Springfield and our kids were young, the Wayside was a favorite quick stop on visits to the Central Oregon Coast. We hadn't been there for years and years until we took a day-trip to the coast last week.
It is still fun to marvel at these weirdly beautiful carnivores.
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