Nature and Wildlife

Orange Dodder, Cuscuta spp., wrapped around a host plant, found in Rose Valley, Ventura County, California. Photographed with a D300 and a Nikon 105mm lens. Dodders are a parasitic plant that depend on their host for water, food and nutrients. They can and often do kill their host. They are a leafless, thread-like plant with a color variance from orange, red and yellow. In California, 8 of the 9 species are native and some are uncommon. Some of its nicknames are descriptively suiting;...
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Orange Dodder, Cuscuta spp., wrapped around a host plant, found in Rose Valley, Ventura County, California. Photographed with a D300 and a Nikon 105mm lens. Dodders are a parasitic plant that depend on their host for water, food and nutrients. They can and often do kill their host. They are a leafless, thread-like plant with a color variance from orange, red and yellow. In California, 8 of the 9 species are native and some are uncommon. Some of its nicknames are descriptively suiting; witches hair, devil's gut, love vine and witches shoelace.
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