Brief overview of a few of the things you might see here

Venus Fly traps: (dionae) The stereotypical plant thought of when carnivorous plants are mentioned. A very animated plant, the flytrap catches its prey inside it’s leaf, where it then breaks down the insect and absorbs nutrients not found in it’s soil from the insect through the leaf. Kids love these and I don't blame them.



American Pitcher Plants: (Sarracenia) Growing in various climates in North America, the American pitcher plants all use a pitfall trap method of catching prey. They grow from the ground in a stalk like manner and secrete digestive juices which collect in the bottom of their hollow shafts. These stalks, which are basically the plants leaves, act like the plants stomach, dissolving caught insects and absorbing the nutrients through the walls of the shaft. There are around a dozen species of these plants in the wild (8-13 depending on who you ask) and numerous hybrids between them. They can grow stalks several feet tall depending on the species and age of the plant.



Sundews: (drosera) Sundews grow in nearly every continent on the Earth. There are over a hundred species of these plants and they range from the size of a bush to the size of a dilated human pupil. (1/4 inch-ish) There are many different types of sundews with diverse appearances but they all have at least one thing in common, they all trap insects by secreting glistening dew that draws the insect close. Once the insect gets stuck on the dew, the true horror begins. The sticky dew is only part of the mix; the rest is a digestive enzyme. The insect is very slowly digested on the leaf and its nutrients absorbed.



Tropical or Asian Pitcher Plants: (Nepenthes) Nepenthes are often thought to be the most beautiful and impressive member of the carnivorous plant family. They grow in areas ranging from Madagascar to Australia. Nepenthes grow pitchers which, like the American Pitcher Plants, hold fluid for digesting bugs, but they look nothing alike. Nepenthes are typically a vine growing plant which opens leaf after leaf in order to extend the vine. On the end of each of these leaves is the potential to grow one pitcher. Nepenthes do well in hanging baskets and if the conditions are right, will eventually (over the course of years and years) get very large. As with the sundews, the size of nepenthes can differ from species to species. One species may make pitchers no bigger than a thimble, while on the other side of the spectrum, one might get 18 inches tall and hold over 3 L of water.



Butterworts: (Pinguicula) Butterworts are somewhat similar to sundews in that they stick their prey to the leaf, however, they do it somewhat differently. The surface of the leaf is coverered in tiny little hairs and a greasy substance that acts as a weak glue much like flypaper. Butterworts are typically rather plain looking until they grow flowers, which they do often in the right conditions. Their flowers are various colors depending on the species and are quite attractive



Bladderworts: (Utricularia) Bladderworts are a very diverse genus of plant which have both a terrestrial and an aquatic branch in the family. Terrestrial often look like little leaves on the ground, rather unassuming and not overly striking. When their soil is flooded they grow tiny little traps that suck in small water insects. The aquatic variety, which can sometimes live on wet soil, does the same thing just typically all the time since it should be in the water. Both types are often thought of as homely until they flower, which can make a homely little plant suddenly beautiful. Bladderworts are found almost everywhere in the world and are easy to propagate through division.

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This site was started on April 22nd, 1998. It was last modified on May 15th, 2008

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