By: Katherine Huang

Have you ever heard of meat-eating plants? Are you familiar with various types of meat-eating plants? In this article, you’ll learn about 3 types of meat-eating plants – the sundew, the Venus fly trap, and the pitcher plant.

First, I will talk about sundews. Sundews are sticky paper plants that trap prey in sticky hairs on their leaves. They make up the biggest group of carnivorous plants. They are called sundews because they have long leaves with “tentacles” that each have a sticky gland at the tip. According to The National Wildlife Federation, whose mission is to preserve wildlife, “These droplets look like dew glistening in the sun, thus their name.” Sundews catch their prey by releasing sweet smells that attract insects. When the insects land on their tentacles they get stuck, allowing the sundew to eat them.

Next are the Venus fly traps. According to The National Wildlife Federation, “The Venus flytrap is a flowering plant best known for its carnivorous eating habits. The ‘trap’ is made of two hinged lobes at the end of each leaf.” The Venus fly trap lures its prey by emitting sweet smells. When a fly lands on its “mouth”, it automatically shuts so the Venus fly trap can eat it. There are bristles in the inside of its “mouth” preventing the prey from squirming out.

Lastly, let’s talk about pitcher plants. Pitcher plants hang from trees, and are filled with sweet, digestible juice. It also has a slippery inside and edge that causes unlucky insects to slip in, falling into the juice. Then the pitcher plant “eats” the unlucky insect.

In conclusion, I described 3 types of meat-eating plants — what they look like and how they kill/lure their prey in. I hoped you learned something about pitcher plants, sundews, and venus fly traps. What do you think of these meat-eating insects?

Sources:

Sundew

Venus Fly Trap

Pitcher Plant