How Do Carnivorous Plants Capture Insects?
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It's All About Survival
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Venus Fly Trap about to be Sprung
Carnivorous plants generally grow in areas where the soil is lacking in nutrients. These plants have adapted to trap insects as a food source to supplement what they need to grow. Carnivorous plants can be divided into three specific groups. There are plants with passive traps, active traps or those that have both.
Passive Trap Plants
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Pitcher plant
The pitcher plant is an excellent example of a passive trap. The plant has tall leaves that are tapered like a glass or bottle. Water and digestive enzymes collect inside these leaves forming a reservoir at the bottom. Insects are attracted to the plant and enter the top of a leaf. As the insect proceeds down the inside of the leaf, small hairs inside the plant that point downward direct the insect further and further into the center. The sides of the leaf are also coated with a waxy, slippery substance. Eventually, the insect will fall into the water and drown. As the insect decomposes, it releases nutrients that feed the plant.
Active Trap Plants
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Venus Fly Trap
Plants that have active traps include the most famous carnivorous plant, the Venus fly trap. The end of each of the fly trap's leaves look like two oval lobes joined in the middle, trimmed with eyelash-like points. On the surface of each oval lobe, there are three trigger hairs. When an insect lands on the lobe and touches the hairs, the lobes fold closed around the insect. The points form a tiny cage that traps the insect alive. For the trap to be sprung, the trigger hairs must be touched multiple times. That way the plant knows that what is in the trap is alive. Digestive enzymes are then released into the trap to finish the job.
Plants with both Traps
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Sundew Plant Tendrils
Carnivorous plants that have passive and active traps include the sundew plant. At the end of each leaf, the sundew plant has a cluster of thin tendrils stretching in all directions. Each tendril is tipped with a drop of sticky nectar. Insects that are attracted to the nectar land on the leaf and get stuck in the tendrils. This is the passive trap. But that's not the end of the story. As the insect struggles, signals are transmitted to the plant through the tendrils, which begin to bend in, surrounding the insect and digesting it. This is the active trap and makes it impossible for the insect to escape.
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Carnivorous plants can be viewed in the wild or even kept at home. You can buy pitcher plants, sundews, Venus fly traps and others at garden stores or online. They are fun to watch and can even be fed small insects or tiny pieces of raw meat. Don't worry though. They're not dangerous to you. Take good care of your plants and they will provide you with years of enjoyment and fascination.
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- Photo Credit Sundew with Gnat, Annie Hall, http://www.flickr.com/photos/anniehall19/3283574822/sizes/l/ | blmurch, Meal worm on Flytrap, http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmurch/688571884/sizes/l/ | Pitcher Plant, timbomb / Tim Mansfield, http://www.flickr.com/photos/timbomb/406235908/sizes/l/ | Venus Flytrap, alx_chief, http://www.flickr.com/photos/7398484@N02/1523983043/sizes/o/ | Sundew, Lukjonis / Lukas Jonaitis, http://www.flickr.com/photos/38628972@N05/3555593479/sizes/l/
