Pitcher plant bogs are among the most diverse habitats in North America. Many of the fascinating plants that make their homes here are found nowhere else on earth. Soil in these bogs is sandy and porous, and contains very little organic material. Coastal bog soils are highly acidic and quite poor in nutrients. This acidic, nutrient-poor soil is key to the specialized plant species that live in bogs. Since there is very little fertility in the soil, bog plants have developed interesting and unusual ways to obtain necessary nutrients. For example, pitcher plants, sundews, and bladderworts, are carnivorous and obtain their nutrients by capturing and “eating” insects and other small creatures. Sadly, bog habitats are quickly disappearing throughout the Gulf Coast.