Keely Davies

Scratchboard Some plants bite back! To survive the nutrient-poor environments where they grow, carnivorous plants will consume just about anything they can catch with their specially modified leaves. Insects, amphibians, reptiles, and even small mammals are all on the menu! The methods used by these plants to capture prey vary from quick-shutting traps activated by trigger hairs (Venus fly traps-Dionaea muscipula), to sticky “glue” traps (sundews-Drosera capensis), and to slippery-edged containers filled with digestive liquid (pitcher plants-Nepenthes truncata).