Carnivorous Plants

Fascinating gardens are a true art form and if you are wanting one that will catch the attention of others, you may consider adding a few of the best carnivorous plants available. There are several interesting exotic species to consider, such as the ever popular Venus Flytrap or the Cobra plant. Both these plants consume insects and can be of benefit to any garden in that way and in addition, they are a great conversational piece. The size of the plant you select will determine the amount of insects consumed, however, the entertainment they provide for both adults and children alike, is well worth the investment.

Basically there are five different types of carnivorous plants for you to consider. Of course the most popular and more widely known are the plants from the Venus Flytrap plant family. Snap traps rely on a mouth that close in around its pray, where the plant will eat whatever it catches.

When a fly or insect walks on the surface, this activates a hair trigger and causes closure, as the traps closes it fills with an enzyme solution, and then it will dissolve the proteins from the insect. Digestion takes five to 12 days, after which the trap reopens, then the insect’s exoskeleton blows away in the wind or is washed away by rain.

Plants within the Venus Flytrap family have a large variety of different colored species found in various sizes.

Sundew plants of the Venus Flytrap family are amongst the most interesting to watch. They are covered with dense, gland-tipped hairs and several tiny midge flies are stuck to the sticky hairs, which causes the insect to be enzymatically digested and absorbed by the plant. The type of secretion created by this particular plant can cause skin irritation to humans and therefore should be treated with caution.

Bladder traps plants are a fascinating subset of carnivorous plants. Numerous, tiny glands inside the bladder absorb most of the internal water and expel it on the outside, and as a result, a partial vacuum is produced inside the bladder and the pressure on the outside becomes greater than the inside. Once an insect or aquatic species has been trapped within, escape is difficult. Unlike many carnivorous plant species, these are more commonly found underwater than above ground.

Finally, the lobster pot traps are among some of the most unusual looking carnivorous plants that you can acquire, they function by giving insects an easy way to enter, but little chance of escape.

Corkscrew plants are interesting, in that, the inside of the plant mouth is filled with downward pointing obstructions, used to prevent it’s prey from escaping it’s grasp.

For those interested in borderline species, there are several varieties of plants that do not meet all of the requirements of carnivorous plants, but have sharing characteristics. These plants include the Brocchinia Roridula and members of the Martyniaceae species. They are not considered to be in the same classification as true carnivorous plants because they do not, attract, kill and digest prey.

If you decided to plant or house any type of carnivorous plant, you will need to be sure to keep them out of reach from children. While most of them are relatively harmless to humans, digestion of these plants should be avoided, due to the digestive enzymes that the plant utilizes to break down prey.