Science & Technology

A plant that consumes insects and spiders?

The Venus flytrap is a carnivorous flowering plant from North and South Carolina. There are only a few of these species in existence, all part of the family Droseraceae. Unlike most plants, Venus flytraps consume insects and spiders and have special digestive enzymes capable of breaking down their prey. Also known as tippity twitchets, they are considered to be a vulnerable species, found only in the wetlands of the Carolinas.

Appearance, Behavior, and Diet of the Venus Flytrap

A Venus flytrap has four to seven leaves, each of which contains its own trap. The top of the plant has several beautiful white blossoms, with green veins running along each petal. The snap trap may be the most interesting part. Each end of the leaf (trap) is hinged, and hair-like growths on the inside alert the plant when something has landed on it. The outer edge of the trap has a set of bristles that prevent the prey from escaping.

The plants are stationary, meaning they stay in place, so they must wait for food to come to them. Much like traditional plants, most of the nutrients are absorbed through the soil and the sun. However, if the soil lacks nutrients, the plant will supplement its diet by trapping and consuming animals. They can go for long periods of time without food, and they are very particular about what they eat, so they must be patient enough to wait for it.

Venus flytraps lure insects and arachnids by emitting a sweet nectar scent. That attracts many types of prey, but flytraps won’t eat just anything. Prey too small can escape and too big can destroy the trap. Only certain stimuli will trigger the traps to close. Each can snap shut only a certain number of times before it falls off the plant. It takes a good bit of time for a trap to regrow, so it is selective about choosing to clamp down. Once an acceptable meal enters its trap, the leaves shut slowly at first and then a swift snap completes the catch. The plant begins to release the enzymes necessary to break down the victim (which takes up to five days) and absorb its nutrients.

Predators, Reproduction, and Lifespan

Rodents, squirrels, raccoons, and certain birds enjoy eating Venus flytraps. However, unlike normal predatory situations, when an animal eats a flytrap, the seeds that are not digested can germinate in the soil, in turn creating a new plant. This feature helps prevent the flytraps from being wiped out. There are a couple of predators, however, that can cause irreparable damage to the plant, such as aphids and spider mites.

Like other plants, flytraps depend on pollination to procreate. Beetles and sweat bees spread the pollen from one plant to another, and wind and birds help the process, too. Once the plant has been pollinated, it produces small black seeds that sprout bulbous roots in the soil. While it grows rather quickly, it takes the plant several years to mature and bloom. Once established, a Venus flytrap can live up to 20 years, and sometimes longer.

There are approximately 35,000 wild Venus flytraps — far fewer than the 5 million that the North Carolina chapter of the Nature Conservancy believed existed. While it is against the law to poach the plants from the wild, they are commonly purchased and kept in people’s homes and gardens. The federal government is in the process of determining if they should be classified as endangered.

Venus flytraps have unique capabilities that help them stand out from other traditional plants. It is important to protect them from extinction.

1. Venus flytraps are carnivorous flower plants that are part of the Droseraceae family.
2. Special enzymes help to break down the prey that is caught in the plant’s traps.
3. With only 35,000 Venus flytraps in the wild, the US government is considering classifying the plant as endangered.