Deadly Attraction: Carnivorous Plants in Nutrient-Poor Environments

1. Carnivorous Plants Adapting to nutrient-poor environments, these plants all became killing machines… Enter If You Dare

2. Carnivorous Plants Capture and kill prey Have a mechanism to facilitate digestion of the prey Derive a significant benefit from nutrients assimilated from their prey The Flowers of Carnivorous Plants are Alluring, but Deadly Carnivorous plants derive their nutrients from trapping and consuming insects, spiders, crustaceans and other small soil and water-living invertebrates, lizards, mice, rats, and other small vertebrates. Carnivorous plants have adapted to be able to grow in places where the soil is thin or poor in nutrients, especially nitrogen, such as acidic bogs and rock outcroppings. There are an estimated 630 species that attract and trap prey, produce digestive enzymes, and absorb the resulting available nutrients. Carnivorous plants lure their prey by using specialized leaves that act as traps. Traps of carnivorous plants include use of bright colors, flowers, nectar, guide hairs, and/or leaf extensions. Once caught and killed, the prey is digested by the plant, its nutrients absorbed. A bog is perfect for carnivorous plants. Go Forward to find out about the trapping mechanisms of carnivorous plants Main Menu Start Over Site Map Related Sites Exit

3. CarnivorousPlants Have Trapping Mechanisms Methods carnivorous plants use to catch prey are called trapping mechanisms. Carnivorous plants are grouped by their trapping mechanisms. Plants might produce nectar as a lure; Plants might produce an attractive smell; The trap may have visual appeal--this may only be visible in UV; The surface of the trap might be particularly slippery or waxy; Hairs may be present that point prey to the point of no return; Special trap windows may let light in, but not allow escape--this can disorient prey; Trap fluids may be particularly sticky or viscous. The Sundew catches prey with glue-like droplets The Bladderwort is an underwater killing machine An insect is caught in a waterwheel This pitcher plant drowns its victims The Venus Fly Trap relies on a trigger trap Go back to return to Trapping Mechanisms of Carnivorous Plants. Go forward to Main Menu Main Menu Start Over Site Map Related Sites Exit

4. Main Menu: Carnivorous Plants & Their Tricky Traps Flypaper Traps Killer Fungi use sticky mucilage to ensnare their prey. trap & digest tiny creatures. Pitfall Traps trap prey in a rolled leaf that contains a pool of digestive enzymes. Venus Fly Traps are the stars of the carnivorous plant world! This special feature will show you how to grow your own. Trigger Traps such as the famous Venus Fly Trap snap close when prey activate hair triggers. Habitats such as swamps and bogs, are poor in nutrients, causing plants to “go” carnivorous to survive. You Are Here Start Over Site Map Related Sites Exit

5. How Pitfall Traps Work The open pool traps have pools of water to drown victims. The tall, thin Sarracenia traps have only a small amount if any free water and essentially starve their prey to death. Most of the pitfall traps have hoods to exclude rain. The plant determines the amount of water in the trap and will pump it in or out as necessary. The leaves may also adjust the pH of the water and release digestive enzymes. Pitfall traps are leaves modified into pit-like structures. The simplest pitfall traps are where the base of the whorl of leaves seal to form a cup to catch water. Prey slip down the leaves into the pool at the base and drown. The other carnivores with pitfall traps have highly modified leaves where each leaf is a separate trap. The traps may have nectar, bright colors, or a flower-like scent to attract prey. The traps may have hairs to direct prey to the trap opening or cause the prey to fall into the trap. The lip of the trap is slippery and the inside of the trap waxy. Creatures drown in the pools of water in pitfall plants. Go forward to learn about Nepenthes, another tricky pitfall trap! Main Menu Start Over Site Map Related Sites Exit

6. Pitfall Traps: Nepenthes The Nepenthes are popularly known as tropical pitcher plants or monkey cups. The Nepenthes trap contains a fluid of the plant's own production, which may be watery or syrupy and is used to drown the prey. The trapping efficiency of this fluid remains high, even when significantly diluted by water, as inevitably happens in wet conditions. The lower part of the trap contains glands which absorb nutrients from captured prey. Along the upper inside part of the trap is a slick waxy coating which makes the escape of its prey nearly impossible. Surrounding the entrance to the trap is a structure called the peristome (the "lip") which is slippery and often quite colorful, attracting prey but offering an unsure footing. Above the peristome is a lid (the operculum): in many species this keeps rain from diluting the fluid within the pitcher, the underside of which may contain nectar glands which attract prey. Nepenthes Nepenthes are found in Australia, South China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Madagascar, New Caledonia, India, and Sri Lanka Dead insects are shown inside Nepenthes Go Back to How Pitfalls Work Next: The Deadly Cobra Lily Main Menu Start Over Site Map Related Sites Exit

7. Pitfall Traps: Darlingtonia, the Cobra Lily The genus Darlingtonia contains only one species more commonly known as the cobra lily or California pitcher plant. The cobra lily has many devices to capture and keep their prey, although like all pitfall traps, it has no moving parts. The cobra lily is still very effective, attracting prey with its colorful leaves that emit a honey-like scent. The cobra lily is known by a pair of appendages that are sometimes described as fangs. Nectar glistens on these fangs as prey land on the pitcher to feed. As the insects forage, they eventually crawl upwards towards the pitcher mouth. The pitcher top is set with translucent windows, lighting the interior and making it appear safe. Once insects enter the pitcher, escape is unlikely. The pitcher tube is slick and adorned with downwards-pointing hairs. The Cobra Lily is found in the mountains of Oregon and Northern California Go Back to Nepenthes Click on Main Menu to learn about other tricky traps! Main Menu Start Over Site Map Related Sites Exit

8. Trigger Traps: Aldrovanda, the Waterwheel Plant Aldrovanda, commonly called the waterwheel plant, is a free-floating and rootless aquatic plant. This plant is closely related to the Venus flytrap and shares many of its attributes--it functions as a snap-trap carnivore, only they snare under water! The waterwheel plant is so named because a single whorl of leaves cut from a stem is wheel-like. The strange snapping behavior of the plant was observed as early as 1861, but it was not until careful work by Darwin was it proven that it was carnivorous. The traps produce phosphate-digesting enzymes used to absorb their prey. One “wheel” of a waterwheel plant Each leaf in a whorl terminates in a small clam-like trap. Just like the traps of a Venus flytrap, the trap lobes of Aldrovanda contain trigger hairs. When stimulated, these cause the traps to close. The closure takes about 1/4 to 1/2 seconds, the trap lobes pushing water as they close. If no prey is captured, the trap reopens in ten to twenty hours. A single leaf A waterwheel plant A waterwheel bog A bug is trapped The Waterwheel Plant is found in Europe, Australia, India, Japan, and Africa. Next: The Venus Flytrap Main Menu Start Over Site Map Related Sites Exit

9. Trigger Traps: The Venus Flytrap The Venus Flytrap secretes sweet-smelling nectar attracting insects. When an insect lands on the head of the trap, it looks for the source of the scent, leading to the plant's open trap. If the insect touches the trigger hairs, the trap quickly snaps shut, trapping the victim inside. The struggling prey stimulates the plant to shut tighter, sealing the mouth and filling it with digestive enzymes much like saliva. The enzymes dissolve the insect, allowing the Venus Flytrap to absorb its nutrients. After five to ten days, the trap will reopen, releasing the indigestible skeleton of its prey. Venus Flytraps are indigenous only to the nitrogen poor bogs on the coasts of North and South Carolina, USA More on Venus Flytraps and Related Subjects Growing & Caring for Venus Flytraps How to Grow Venus Flytraps How to Make a TerrariumHow to Care for Venus FlytrapsVenus Flytrap Main Page Flytrap: Survival Mechanisms Trigger Hairs & How They Work Importance of Fire &Flowers Trapping and Digesting Prey Green Swamp, North Carolina An Ideal Habitat Threats to Wildlife in Green Swamp Venus Flytraps are Endangered Why Venus Flytraps are Endangered What Is Being Done & How You Can Help Go Back to Water Wheel Go Forward to Bladder Plants Main Menu Start Over Site Map Related Sites Exit

10. Trigger Traps: Utricularia or Bladderwort Plant Bladder traps are exclusive to the genus Utricularia, or bladderworts. The bladders (vesicula) pump ions out of their interiors. Water follows by osmosis, generating a partial vacuum inside the bladder. The bladder has a small opening, sealed by a hinged door. In aquatic species, the door has a pair of long trigger hairs. Invertebrates touch these hairs and open the door by lever action, releasing the vacuum. The invertebrate is sucked into the bladder, where it is digested. Many species of bladderwort are terrestrial, growing on waterlogged soil, and their trapping mechanism is triggered in a slightly different manner. A single bladder Bladderworts lack roots, but have anchoring stems that resemble them. Aquatic bladderworts die back to a resting state during the winter months. Some species of bladder-wort appear to regulate the number of bladders it bears in response to the nutrient content of its habitat. Aquatic Bladderwort Bladderworts, the only species of carnivorous plant to suck in their victims, are found in bogs all over the world. Bladderworts growing in bog A creature is caught Go Back to Venus Flytraps Click on Main Menu for other tricky traps! Main Menu Site Map Start Over Related Sites Exit

11. Flypaper Traps: The Butterwort Plant Butterworts use sticky, glandular leaves to lure, trap, and digest insects in order to supplement the poor mineral nutrition they obtain from the environment. The adhesive trap is the simplest trapping mechanism used by carnivorous plants. In order to catch and digest insects, the leaf of a butterwort uses two types of specialized glands that are scattered across the upper surface of the leaf. The first type of gland produces a mucilaginous secretion, forming visible droplets on the leaf surface. This wet appearance helps lure prey in search of water. When an insect lands, the glands release additional mucilage from reservoir cells located at the base of their stalks. As the insect struggles, glands are triggered to release more sticky mucilage. Butterwort Plants arefound mainly in North America and parts of Asia The second type of gland, the sessile gland is found flat on the leaf surface. Once the prey is entrapped and digestion begins, the initial flow of nitrogen triggers enzyme release by these second glands. The enzymes break down the digestible components of the insect body. The fluids are then absorbed back into the leaf surface, leaving only the exoskeleton of the insects on the leaf surface. Next is the deadly Byblis or Rainbow Plant Main Menu Start Over Site Map Related Sites Exit

12. Flypaper Traps: Byblis or Rainbow Plant • Byblis is a small genus of carnivorous plants, sometimes termed the rainbow plant for the attractive appearance of their mucilage-covered leaves in bright sunshine. Native to western Australia, it is the only genus in the family Byblidaceae. All Byblis species are native to Australia. Like many carnivorous plants, Byblis species usually grow in bogs and marshes. They generally prefer seasonally wet sandy soil in partial or direct sunlight. The flowers of the Byblis species have five curved stamens off to one side of its pistil. The Byblis Plant in the Wild As native plants of Australia, all Byblis species are protected. Until the year 2000, they were also given international protection. Since then trade of the genus has been unregulated outside of Australia. The majority of plant material sold today is produced in cultivation. Most of the other species must be grown from seed, collected from the wild for this purpose. The Byblis seed The flower of the Byblis Plant The Byblis Plant is indigenous only to parts of Australia. Go Back to the Butterwort Plant Next: the Sundew Plant Main Menu Start Over Site Map Related Sites Exit

13. Flypaper Traps: Drosera: the Sundew Sundews are sticky flypaper plants. They bear long tentacles on their leaves, the stalks tipped with glands which are often bright colors. The glands exude attractive nectar, adhesive compounds, and digestive enzymes. Insects that land on the leaves stick fast and are digested. Glandular tentacles located nearby are then stimulated, also adhering to the insect. On many species of sundews, the entire leaf coils around the prey. This takes from minutes to hours to complete. Tentacles can bend in different directions, according to where the prey is caught on a leaf. The tentacles of the sundew know the direction to bend towards its prey, although scientists still cannot explain how. Sundews are unusual carnivorous plants, in that they can survive in any climate from swamps in North America, to jungles in Brazil, snow-covered mountains in Scandinavia, and warm, dry plains of Australia. A Sundew quickly captures its prey Sundew Plants in a Bog Sundew curls around prey Dragonfly is caught With more than 100 species, and the ability to grow in almost any climate, Sundews are found in every continent in the world except for Antarctica. A close-up of sundew droplets Go Back to Byblis or Rainbow Plant Click on Main Menu for more tricky traps! Main Menu Start Over Site Map Related Sites Exit

14. How To Grow a Venus Flytrap Like all carnivorous plants, the Venus Flytrap evolved from surviving in nutrient poor swamps and bogs. To survive in cultivation, the natural environment of the Flytrap must be replicated. A moist environment with up to 50% humidity, poor, sandy soil devoid of nitrogen and other typical nutrients is crucial to the survival of the Venus Flytrap. It is illegal to dig up Venus Flytraps in the wild in both North and South Carolina, the only place Venus Flytraps grow naturally. Check your local nursery to obtain Venus Flytrap seeds or plants. For links to websites for commercial Venus Flytrap growers in the Carolinas, click Here. During the winter, Flytraps enter a period of dormancy for about three months. Do not attempt to keep a Venus Flytrap active during its dormant period as this period of hibernation is necessary for its health. Drawing of Flytrap Terrariums are easy to make and care for, and are effective for growing Venus Flytraps. Instructions on how to make your own terrarium are found on the next page or by clicking this link: MAKING A TERRARIUM. Flytrap Seeds Flytraps in Wild Venus Flytrap Special Topics Sometimes Venus Flytraps fall prey to small insects such as aphids. Growers recommend killing pests by immersing the entire Venus Flytrap plant in distilled or rain water for 24 to 36 hours, drowning anything infesting the plant without harming the Venus Flytrap. Growing & Caring for Venus Flytraps How to Grow Venus Flytraps How to Make a TerrariumHow to Care for Venus FlytrapsVenus Flytrap Main Page Flytrap: Survival Mechanisms Trigger Hairs & How They Work Importance of Fire &Flowers Trapping and Digesting Prey Green Swamp, North Carolina An Ideal Habitat Threats to Wildlife in Green Swamp Venus Flytraps are Endangered Why Venus Flytraps are Endangered How You Can Help To Return to Venus Flytrap Main Page, click Here To Return to Main Page of Trigger Traps, clickHere Cultivated Flytrap Main Menu Start Over Site Map Related Sites

15. Making a Terrarium for Venus Making a Terrarium for a Venus Flytrap A terrarium can be built out of a one-liter bottle, for one plant, or a fish tank, for several. Whatever container is used, it should be a clear, partially-enclosed container. Start by layering the bottom with approximately one-inch of perlite. Add a mixture of around 60% peat or sphagnum moss and 40% perlite until the terrarium is 1/3 full. Pour in enough water to make the mixture wet, but not quite soggy. Add a thick layer of wet, long fiber sphagnum moss. Poke holes in the moss and insert your plant. You can place it in the terrarium still in its pot, or transplant it completely. Be aware that transplanted Flytraps may initially show signs of stress. Stress manifests itself in a Venus Flytrap as blackened leaves. Blackened leaves may be trimmed off. Supplies to Make a Terrarium perlite Flytrap Terrarium Perlite, one of the recommended planting mediums for Venus Flytraps, is an amorphous volcanic glass occurring naturally. Perlite has a relatively high water content, typically formed by the hydration of obsidian. Venus Flytrap Special Topics Keep Your Terrarium Moist & Do Not Fertilize! Growing & Caring for Venus Flytraps How to Grow Venus Flytraps How to Make a TerrariumHow to Care for Venus FlytrapsVenus Flytrap Main Page Flytrap: Survival Mechanisms Trigger Hairs & How They Work Importance of Fire &Flowers Trapping and Digesting Prey Do not allow a terrarium to dry out. If covered, open often to provide plants with fresh air. Do not use fertilizer to grow Venus Flytraps. They have adapted to nitrogen poor environments, and fertilizer will kill them. Green Swamp, North Carolina An Ideal Habitat Threats to Wildlife in Green Swamp Venus Flytraps are Endangered Why Venus Flytraps are Endangered How You Can Help To Return to Venus Flytrap Main Page, click Here To Return to Trigger Traps, click Here Main Menu Start Over Site Map Related Sites

16. Caring for a Venus Flytrap Live food is preferred, as the struggling insect aids in the digestive process. However, dead bugs can be fed to your flytrap providing they died of natural means - ie, not by pesticide. Crickets can be bought in the local pet shop and cut up to be fed to your plant. You can feed them to your plant using tweezers. Try to avoid touching the plant yourself. Make sure that whatever you feed your plant is no larger than around a third of the size of the trap you are feeding it to. Large insects and some ants can cause leaf-burn, killing or injuring the trap. The water you use for your Venus Flytrap should be pure, preferably rainwater or distilled water. Tap water is full of chlorine and minerals that your plant's sensitive roots are unused to. If you use tap water, let it sit for several days so that the chlorine has time to evaporate. Venus Flytraps can survive without eating for up to two months, so if your Flytrap is not in a terrarium, then there is no need to feed it. Never feed your plant hamburger or any other protein and fat-based meat. Fatty meat will rot the plant and kill it. Do not feed a Flytrap more than once a week. Feeding every ten days is recommended. Artificially springing the traps drains the plant's energy, and can cause the head to become less sensitive and possibly die. Flytraps vary slightly in color No matter how or where you keep your Venus Flytrap, it will need a lot of indirect sunlight. A window facing south or a florescent light bulb on for ten to 15 hours daily will suffice. Do not use incandescent bulbs or place your plant in direct sunlight. Venus Flytrap Special Topics Growing & Caring for Venus Flytraps How to Grow Venus Flytraps How to Make a TerrariumHow to Care for Venus FlytrapsVenus Flytrap Main Page Flytrap: Survival Mechanisms Trigger Hairs & How They Work Importance of Fire &Flowers Trapping and Digesting Prey A partially digested insect Green Swamp, North Carolina An Ideal Habitat Threats to Wildlife in Green Swamp Venus Flytraps are Endangered Why Venus Flytraps are Endangered How You Can Help To Return to Venus Flytrap Main Page, click Here To Return to Trigger Traps, click Here To Exit, click Here Neverfertilize a Flytrap. They thrive in nutrient poor environments. Main Menu Start Over Site Map Related Sites

17. Trapping and Digesting Prey The Venus Flytrap is one of a very small group of plants capable of rapid movement, along with Mimosas, Telegraph plants, Sundews and Bladderworts. The mechanism by which the trap snaps shut involves a complex interaction between elasticity and growth. When open, the lobes of the Venus Flytrap are convex (bent outwards), but in the closed state, the lobes are concave (forming a cavity). It is the rapid switching of these states that closes the trap, but the mechanism is still poorly understood. When the trigger hairs are stimulated, cells in the lobes are stimulated. If the prey is unable to escape, it continues to stimulate the inner surface of the Flytrap lobes with its struggle. This forces the lobe to shut tighter, sealing the trap hermetically. The sealed lobe forms a ‘stomach' in which digestion occurs. Enzymes secreted by glands in the lobes aid in digestion. Digestion takes about ten days, when the trap reopens and releases any remains. An insect set to trigger the trap A magnification of trigger hair Venus Flytrap Special Topics Each lobe of the Venus Flytrap can trap approximately 5 or 6 times before it will die and fall off the plant. Growing & Caring for Venus Flytraps How to Grow Venus Flytraps How to Make a TerrariumHow to Care for Venus FlytrapsVenus Flytrap Main Page Flytrap: Survival Mechanisms Trigger Hairs & How They Work Importance of Fire &Flowers Trapping and Digesting Prey Green Swamp, North Carolina An Ideal Habitat Threats to Wildlife in Green Swamp Venus Flytraps are Endangered Why Venus Flytraps are Endangered How You Can Help To Return to Venus Flytrap Main Page, click Here To Return to Trigger Traps, click Here To Exit, click Here A spider lives dangerously Main Menu Start Over Site Map Related Sites

18. The Importance of Flowers and Fire to Flytraps The Venus Flytrap is found in nitrogen and phosphorous-poor environments, such as bogs and wet savannahs. Small in stature and slow growing, the Venus flytrap tolerates fire well, and depends on periodic burning to suppress its competition. Fire suppression threatens its future in the wild. It survives in wet sandy and peaty soils. Although it has been successfully transplanted and grown in many locales around the world, it is found natively only in North and South Carolina in the United States, specifically within a 60-mile radius of Wilmington, North Carolina. The flower of the Venus Flytrap Like all flowers of carnivorous plants, the flowers of the Venus Flytrap are on stalks far above its leaves in order to protect cross-pollinators from the traps below. If your flytrap grows a flower stem with clusters of white blooms, trim it back when it reaches 3 inches. Flowers can exhaust and possibly kill the plant. Unless collecting seeds is a goal, flowers are unnecessary in cultivated Flytraps. An insect is unaware The trap closes A Venus Flytrap with open leaves Venus Flytrap Special Topics Growing & Caring for Venus Flytraps How to Grow Venus Flytraps How to Make a TerrariumHow to Care for Venus FlytrapsVenus Flytrap Main Page Flytrap: Survival Mechanisms Trigger Hairs & How They Work Importance of Fire &Flowers Trapping and Digesting Prey Green Swamp, North Carolina An Ideal Habitat Threats to Wildlife in Green Swamp Venus Flytraps are Endangered Why Venus Flytraps are Endangered How You Can Help To Return to Venus Flytrap Main Page, click Here To Return to Trigger Traps, click Here To Exit, click Here Trap is open Main Menu Start Over Site Map Related Sites

19. Trapping and Digesting Prey 1. An open Venus Flytrap 2. A spider crawls inside drawn to a sweet scent 3. The trap closes4. The trap shuts Following the source of a sweet scent, the prey touches trigger hairs causing the trap to quickly snap shut, trapping the prey inside. The prey struggles, which stimulates the plant to shut tighter, sealing the mouth and filling it with digestive enzymes like saliva. These enzymes dissolve the prey allowing the Venus Flytrap to absorb its nutrients. After five to ten days, the trap reopens, releasing any undigested skeletal remains. Venus Flytrap Special Topics Growing & Caring for Venus Flytraps How to Grow Venus Flytraps How to Make a TerrariumHow to Care for Venus FlytrapsVenus Flytrap Main Page Flytrap: Survival Mechanisms Trigger Hairs & How They Work Importance of Fire &Flowers Trapping and Digesting Prey 5. Inside trap: mid-digestion Venus Flytraps can be cultivated, but they are indigenous to roughly a sixty mile radius in nutrient-starved swamps and bogs around Wilmington, North Carolina. Green Swamp, North Carolina An Ideal Habitat Threats to Wildlife in Green Swamp Venus Flytraps are Endangered Why Venus Flytraps are Endangered How You Can Help To Return to Venus Flytrap Main Page, click Here To Return to Trigger Traps, click Here To Exit, click Here The flowers entice prey Main Menu Start Over Site Map Related Sites

20. Links to Relevant Websites International Carnivorous Plant Society (ICPS) is an organization of horticulturists, conservationists, scientists, and educators all interested in sharing knowledge and news of carnivorous plants. http://www.carnivorousplants.org/ The Botanical Society of America provides photographs and information about carnivorous plants http://www.botany.org/carnivorous_plants/ Carnivorous Plant Nursery is the leading provider of educational materials that use carnivorous plants to promote environmental stewardship. They provide a complete line of low-cost, high-quality carnivorous plants from around the world, as well as teaching materials for carnivorous plants. http://www.carnivorousplantnursery.com/ Carnivorous Plant Database This database includes over 3000 entries with an exhaustive synopsis of all carnivorous plants. http://www.omnisterra.com/bot/cp_home.cgi Carnivorous Plants Micro-propagation Laboratory Specialists in propagation of Venus Flytrap plants http://www.bestcarnivorousplants.com Main Menu Start Over Related Sites Site Map Exit

21. Carnivorous Plants Sitemap Intro Main Menu Pitfall Traps Trigger Traps Flypaper Traps Killer Fungi Habitat Pitfalls Waterwheel Butterwort Nepenthes Venus Flytrap Byblis Cobra Lily Bladderwort Sundew Sitemap Trigger Hairs Growing Flytraps Flowers & Fire Related Webs Making Terrariums Digestion Care for Flytraps Main Menu Start Over Site Map Related Sites