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How the Venus's Fly-trap Catches and Digests Its Prey

  • handler
    Venus's Fly-trap
    How does a plant catch its prey? 🌿 The Venus's Fly-trap has three delicate, hair-like organs on each lobe. An insect can hardly traverse it without interfering with one of them.
  • handler
    Venus's Fly-trap
    Snap! 💥 The two sides of the leaf suddenly collapse, enclosing the prey with a force surpassing an insect's efforts to escape. The fringe of hairs interlaces like the fingers of two hands clasped together.
  • Fig. 12.—Pitcher of Nepenthes Chelsont.
    handler
    Venus's Fly-trap
    The trap becomes a stomach! 🍽️ The leaf's glands pour out a fluid of mucilaginous consistence, which seems to act as a solvent, consuming the insect. This fluid is analogous to the gastric juice of animals.
  • Fig.10.—Pitchers of Darlingtonia.
    handler
    Venus's Fly-trap
    A nourishing meal! 🌿 The dissolved prey is absorbed, and the leaf eventually opens again with a dry surface, ready for another meal, though with an appetite somewhat jaded. Save this post! 🔖

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