The Latin name for bladderworts, Utricularia, is a reference to the use of animal bladders, or bags, that trap microscopic prey. (According to Wikipedia, "the generic name Utricularia is derived from the Latin utriculus, a word which has many related meanings but which most commonly means wine flask, leather bottle or bagpipe"). They are a highly specialized aquatic insectivorous plant that doesn't have roots, and can also photosynthesize.
There are 9 species of native bladderworts in Maine. The flowers can be hard to notice among all the other large, showy aquatic contestants. They are delicate, sitting up on a fragile stalk that barely holds the bloom up out of the water. Most bladderworts have yellow flowers, but this one, called the great purple bladderwort, actually has purple/pink flowers.
... until you find a variant. Yes, the great purple bladderwort named for the color of its flowers, Utricularia purpurea, can have white flowers! I have both types flowering in my cove.
The underwater foliage is quite beautiful too
