Live by the plant, die by the plant – carniverous plants have a haunting place in ecosystem – The Virginian-Pilot – Virginian-Pilot

One of the most iconic insect eaters is the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), whose shockingly chartreuse leaves tend to turn heads. The traps look like an open clamshell, each half having three to four tiny trigger hairs in its center. Along the outside rim are teeth that have nectar at their base which lures insects. As flytraps patrons move to partake of the nectar, they touch those trigger hairs. All it takes is touching two hairs (or one hair twice) in 20 seconds. The trap will snap shut, but not completely, allowing smaller prey to escape so that the flytrap doesnt waste energy on a trivial meal. A worthy meal will struggle to free itself, triggering more of the hairs, resulting in a sealed trap within a few hours. However, a tightfitting jail cell that digests its victims isnt the only danger lurking in a bog.

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Live by the plant, die by the plant - carniverous plants have a haunting place in ecosystem - The Virginian-Pilot - Virginian-Pilot

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