Darlington State Park

About Darlington State Park

Darlingtonia State Natural Site is the only Oregon State Park property dedicated to the conservation of a single plant species. At the same time, the protected plants are only carnivorous plants in the system, and the protected plant is one of only two species in Oregon with a population of more than 1,000.

The 18-hectare botanical park features a promenade leading to the furnace where Darlingtonia californica is located. This rare and strangely shaped plant, also called cobrallie, is surrounded by a series of large, narrow, green - brown and yellow - green shrubs. The small garden with its colourful terrors and insects that visitors see are the yellowish green hooded leaves that form the basis of the black - and - white flower heads of this rare plant.

At the top the leaves are often purple-reddish with transparent spots, and the hidden openings in the stems are surrounded by thick, dark green, black and white or black-and-white flower heads.

The mist from the plant's hidden openings attracts insects, and inside they are confused by the transparent areas at the exits.

They go in and out, eventually fall into the bottom of the tube and are caught by the down - sharp hairs or fall into a pool of water at the bottom of a stalk. Bacteria in the water break down the nitrogen, which is then absorbed by plants.

Darlingtonia californica has five violet petals surrounded by a yellow sepal and a long, narrow, yellow-green trunk with a short, white head and five yellow sepals. They are found in the serpentine soils of the sphagnum swamps, which form wet sand in coastal plains. Related species include a variety of other plant species such as dandelions, grasses, shrubs and trees. In Oregon, collecting Darlingtoniania samples is illegal, and in California and Washington it is legal.

The Darlingtonia State Nature Reserve offers a small picnic area next to the car park and waterfront. Nearby is a lush vegetation, including rhododendrons, spruces, cedars and pines, as well as a variety of wildflowers.