Hey! This is Tony from My Garden Nursery … the fun, friendly, and colorful garden center with the purple flamingoes!
Carnivorous plants are a fascinating species that capture and digest insects to obtain nutrients in order to thrive. There are four main types classified by their unique trapping capabilities.
Pitfall traps, or Pitcher plants, use tall tube-shaped leaves filled with digestive fluids. Insects are attracted by nectar, slip inside the pitcher, and are unable to escape. Sarracenia and Nepenthes are examples of these.
Sticky, or Flypaper Trap, have leaves covered in sticky, glistening tentacles. When an insect lands on the sticky surface, the tentacles slowly curl around it and release digestive enzymes. Drosera, commonly known as sundews, and Pinguicula, also known as Butterwort, are types of these that attract and feast on fruit flies and gnats.
Snap-trap carnies, like Dionaea (also known as Venus Flytrap) has leaves with sensitive trigger hairs. When an insect touches them twice in quick succession, the trap closes rapidly, capturing the prey.
Suction, or Bladder traps, have floating or creeping, thin, hairlike stems without roots. Most of it is under water or in the ground with a vacuum inside the bladder. When a tiny water creature brushes the trigger hairs on the door, the vacuum releases, sucking the prey inside in milliseconds. Utricularia, aka Bladderworts, are examples.
All carny plants flower, giving them additional beauty. Although these plants use different trapping methods, they all evolved to survive in nutrient-poor environments by supplementing their diet with insects.
Call, or stop in, to learn more about these wonderful and unique plants.
The Colorful, Fun, and Informative Garden Center on E. Bakerview Rd. in Bellingham.
