Sarracenia alata
Common name: Pale pitcher plant, yellow trumpet
Sarracenia alata is a carnivorous plant native to the southern US. The 'traps' are yellow-green, with fine red pinstripes, and the flowers range in colour from white to pale red and bloom as the traps are developing. The nectar in the trap attracts lots of insects. They start feeding on nectar in the hood of the trap, and as they follow the nectar path down the tube, they lose their grip on the slippery inside surface and fall into the trap where they will be digested.
Our specimens live in pots in the Bentall Garden and are cut back every year. Being in pots makes it easy to keep them moist because their habitat in the wild is often waterlogged.
Flower photo by Noah Elhardt, via Wikimedia Commons
Trap photo by Patrick Alexander, via Wikimedia Commons