Cobra Lily

While we were in Florence, my husband and I went to see these unusual plants. I had never seen them or heard of them before, but my husband, whom I learn more about every day, even though we have been married almost 20 years, had worked as a teenager harvesting these plants in Bandon. He said he and his brother made 25 cents per plant and mailed them off to other places.

I found this information about this plant, whose official name is "Darlingtonia Californica":

The Cobra Lily lives in southwestern Oregon and northern California. This carnivorous plant lures its insect prey with a sweet smell which is inside the leaf opening.
Once inside, the insect becomes confused by the many areas that look like exits. As the insect checks these false exits searching for an escape place, it is led down the tube structure and is unable to return to the top of the plant because of the slippery smooth surface of the inner tube and the sharp, downward pointing hairs which block any chance of escape. Eventually, the insects will fall into a pool of liquid digestive acids in the base of the leaf.

I guess in May & June these plants have a nice flower that blooms. I will have to go back and check it out in the spring.