by Rich Leighton | Sep 25, 2019 | Carnivorous Plants, Florida Nature Photography, Interesting Nature Facts, Natural History, Nature & Wildlife
Butterworts! Welcome to the next installment of a new series of nature photos that will be short & sweet, and all about the native and naturalized wildlife that is all around us with just one or two interesting nature facts that you might not know about. If you...
by Rich Leighton | Sep 20, 2019 | Carnivorous Plants, Interesting Nature Facts, Natural History, Nature & Wildlife
The 600 or so carnivorous species on the planet today thrive in places where other plants struggle, including bogs and heaths. The adaptation of trapping and digesting prey has arisen at least nine times in different plant families in response to soil lacking the...
by Rich Leighton | Sep 15, 2019 | Carnivorous Plants, Interesting Nature Facts, Natural History, Nature & Wildlife
Pitcher plants are shaped like a pitcher or narrow champagne glass. The top and inside of the pitcher is covered with a slippery, but sweet-smelling nectar. When insects come to take a sip, they slip and fall into the pitcher which is typically filled with water and...
by Rich Leighton | Sep 10, 2019 | Carnivorous Plants, Florida Nature Photography, Interesting Nature Facts, Natural History, Nature & Wildlife
Often described as “living flypaper”, the sundew has tentacle-like leaves which are covered in sticky, glandular hairs. The plant’s tacky secretion gives off a sweet scent, which attracts insects. Once an insect is stuck to its leaf, the sundew will curl...
by Rich Leighton | Aug 29, 2019 | Carnivorous Plants, Interesting Nature Facts, Nature & Wildlife, Wildflowers
Mostly found living in lakes and rivers, the carnivorous bladderwort has a floating stem with tiny sack-like traps growing along it. These traps, or ‘bladders’, have clever door-like valves that open and shut within thousandths of a second when triggered. The...
by Rich Leighton | Aug 24, 2019 | Carnivorous Plants, Interesting Nature Facts, Nature & Wildlife
Butterworts have flat, sticky leaves that function like a cross between flypaper and a stomach. When insects land on a butterwort’s leaves, they get stuck in goo that’s excreted by sticky glands. The plant releases digestive enzymes and absorbs those tasty bug...
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