We all know that eating different kinds of food is important for getting the nutrition we need. Eating plants like carrots, spinach, and tomatoes is a great way to stay healthy. But did you know that some plants eat animals? Yes, there are plants that are carnivorous, which means they eat meat!
The most famous carnivorous plant is the Venus Flytrap. It has leaves at the top of its stems that look like tiny mouths with teeth. These aren’t real mouths, but they work like them to catch insects. The inside of the trap smells like food to insects, so they fly or crawl into it. If an insect touches two of the three tiny hairs inside the trap, it snaps shut, trapping the insect. The plant then digests the insect to get the energy it needs to live.
Another type of carnivorous plant is the sundew. Sundews have colorful red and green leaves covered with a sweet, sticky “dew” that shines in the sunlight. This dew acts like glue. When bugs land on the leaves, they get stuck, and the plant starts digesting them, absorbing nutrients right through the leaves.
Pitcher plants have big, brightly colored leaves shaped like tubes. At the bottom of the tube is a pool of sweet nectar. Creatures are drawn to the smell and come to the edge to investigate. But the top is slippery, and stiff hairs inside the tube point downwards, making it hard for them to escape once they fall in. Pitcher plants can catch not just bugs, but also small frogs and even mice!
Some carnivorous plants, like bladderworts, live in water. They have tiny containers called bladders on their stems that float underwater. Each bladder has a tiny flap that acts like a trapdoor. When insects trigger tiny hairs near the trapdoor, it swings open and sucks the creature inside.
So, now you know that some plants eat animals! It’s fascinating how nature has such a variety of ways to survive. Thanks for learning with us!
Build Your Own Venus Flytrap Model: Use craft materials like paper, scissors, and glue to create a model of a Venus Flytrap. Make the “mouth” with paper and add tiny paper “teeth.” Practice opening and closing the trap with your fingers. Discuss how the real Venus Flytrap uses its trap to catch insects. Can you think of other ways plants might catch food?
Sticky Sundew Experiment: Create a sticky trap using a piece of paper and some honey or syrup. Place it outside and observe what gets stuck. Talk about how this is similar to how sundews catch their prey. What kinds of insects are attracted to the sticky trap? Why do you think they get stuck?
Pitcher Plant Observation Walk: Go on a nature walk and look for plants that have interesting shapes or colors. Imagine if any of them could be like pitcher plants. What might they catch? Draw a picture of your favorite plant from the walk and add a pretend trap to it. How would your plant catch its food?
