Drosera finlaysoniana, the artist formerly known as Drosera indica. This sticky Australian native will eventually grow into one of the biggest, baddest sundews currently in cultivation. In warmer months, these plants climb 12″-24″+ and can catch things as strong as bottleflies and butterflies!
The amazing Sarracenia minor is my personal favorite species of American pitcher plant. The pitchers are generally under 14″ tall, but what they lack in size, they make up for with expertly designed traps. This species of pitcher plant utilizes translucent-white patches of tissue to create “windows”, which, when combined with the downward pointing lid covering the pitcher mouth, effectively disorientate insects unlucky enough to have entered. This in turn tricks insects into thinking the back of the pitchers are the quickest way to freedom, when in reality, they are only becoming more trapped. Sarracenia minor’s “windows” offer bugs a glimmer of hope, but ultimately guarantee the plant a steady meal!
Pinguicula moranensis, a beautiful species of carnivorous plant native to Mexico. Amazingly, these plants exist half of the year as sticky carnivores, and the other half of the year as succulent rosettes!
Nepenthes maxima (m) x truncata(D) bred by Exotica Plants in Australia. Despite their general reputation as “hard to grow”, Nepenthespitcher plants can often be grown outdoors year-round in most frost-free climates.
Drosophyllum lusitanicum, the Portuguese Sundew or “Pina Babosa”. This sticky carnivorous plant is a voracious predator, and often emits a vague honey-like scent.
Roridula dentata, a resinous carnivorous plant native to South Africa. These plants eventually become medium-to-large shrubs, and have been know to snare small birds!
#seaotter #bathtime at the #oregonzoo! Sea otters are actually the largest members of the family #mustelidae - a group of #carnivorous mammals that also includes badgers and weasels. Sea otters depend on their super-thick fur to stay warm in the cold ocean, which makes grooming themselves pretty much a full-time job! #otter #zooanimals #otterlyadorable #fur #haircare (at Oregon Zoo) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoDHNRIAWm_/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ye4w2z2xbasj
Sarracenia are carnivorous pitcher plants, grown for their unique modified leaves rather than for their flowers. Carnivory and proto-carnivory are some of the most perplexing and intriguing evolutions in the botanical realm, often presenting unique habitats for other animals and microbiota. From a Nepenthes which enjoy meals of shrew scat to a Utricularia which is partially herbivorous, they excite the imagination. It ought to come as no surprise that Sarracenia blossoms would be quite strange as well, with a peculiar rearrangement of its flower structures designed to force a pollinating insect into navigating a maze in order to get nectar/pollen rewards and exit the flower. This flower is from a complex hybrid of incompletely known heritage, but is pretty typical for flowers of this genus.
How does a plant develop a taste for flesh? In the play Little Shop of Horrors, all it takes is a drop of human blood. But in real life, it takes much more. Now, a study of three closely related carnivorous plants suggests dextrous genetic shuffling helped them evolve the ability to catch and digest protein-rich meals.
Aerogardens are cool, but fruitflies are not. Unfortunately, Husband’s aerogarden has been struck with a case of fruitfly infestation. I have a couple of sundews that I usually keep outside but decided to bring one in and change them out as needed. Most of the time, they’re self sufficient with catching their own food but need the occasional watering. The sweet mucilage, or dew drops, works as the perfect evolutionary lure.
Pictured is a sundew I just recently changed out. Besides the larger insects, you can see each individual fly within the traps. Each brown dot is an individual that met their sticky and slow doom.
