purple bladderwort, Utricularia purpurea

I might have looked a little silly, wading into the lake fully dressed with my camera, in front of all those Killarney Lake summer campers. But I finally got my purple bladderwort shot. These half inch flowers aren't rare, but it turns out they're more common north. The state 15 miles south of us doesn't have any at all. Bladderworts use small round traps on their underwater leaves to catch and consume arthropods. This one also uses them to house algae and plankton that provide nutrients. Purple bladderwort grows in AL, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN(R), MA, MD(T), ME, MI, MN, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA(R), RI, SC, TX, VA, VT, WI, NB, NF, NS, ON, and QC. Lenawee Co MI, 7/20/11.