Carnivorous Plants #2: Venus Fly Trap

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Venus Fly traps are pretty spectacular carnivorous plants because of the way they trap and digest food. They are also only naturally found in bogs in Carolina, United States of America. They are pretty hard to grow, I have tried a few times but they have always died within a year. They grow well in a moist mix of peat and river sand.

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The Venus Fly Trap's leaf is designed as a trap with little trigger hairs which cause the leaves to shut when something disturbs it. The hairs are designed so that the leaf won't close unless there is a few disturbances to show that something living is moving on the leaf. The bristles on the end are called cilia and prevent insects from escaping as the leaf closes completely to prepare for digestion. The leaves also secrete a sweet goo to attract insects as prey. Once the leaves are shut they release digestive enzymes and within a few days the insect is nothing more than an empty skin that gets blown away by the wind.

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Their flowers are generally white and come in a cluster on a long stalk. If the Venus fly trap is healthy, it will be able to make seeds after successful pollination. If it is unhealthy, the flowers would use a lot of the plant's energy and it may end up dying, without giving any seed.

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