Plants
Carnivorous Plants
Most of the time, plants are the ones that get eaten, but every now and then, a plant gets revenge. Some plants are carnivores. This means that they eat meat! Now, they certainly don’t eat steak, but they’re happy to feast on the occasional bug that crosses their path.
Venus fly traps are probably the most famous carnivorous plants. These plants have a pair of thick, padded leaves that are covered with tiny hairs. When a fly touches the hairs – SNAP – the leaves shut like two powerful jaws. The plant releases enzymes that break down the fly’s insides into a soup. Dinner is served.
Pitcher plants are shaped like a pitcher or narrow champagne glass. The top and inside of the pitcher is covered with a slippery, but sweet-smelling nectar. When insects come to take a sip, they slip and fall into the pitcher. There, the plant breaks them down. Some pitcher plants are so large, they can catch and consume rats or frogs.
Most carnivorous plants live in boggy areas. They live in poor, wet soil that doesn’t have a lot of nutrients. Perhaps, that is why they need a secondary source of nutrients -- animals and insects!
To learn more about carnivorous plants click this, and that for a more advanced read.
Click the picture to see 8 awesome carnivorous plants!
Dripping with nectar, the pitcher plant attracts thousands of hungry termites. But as soon as the bugs start eating, they begin to slip on the sugary liquid and tumble inside the plant.
The Venus fly trap lures and entraps unsuspecting insects. The predators have become preys!