Butterwort or Bog Violet, Unalaska Island Postcard

Butterworts (Pinguicula vulgaris) are also known as bog violets, although they are in the bladderwort family. The flowers are violet in colour, although they sometimes appear pinkish violet or almost magenta in colour. The plant is small, growing only a few inches tall with waxy thick leaves growing in a whorl around the base of the stem. The bog violet is a carnivorous plant, using its leaves to trap and digest insects. Butterworts are common throughout most of the Aleutian Islands and they are found near marsh areas where the ground is very moist.