Many of our readers are well aware of the basics of the food chain: from sunlight, plants get nutrients, animals feed on them, and predators feed on other animals. However, not everyone knows that there are exceptions to this rule, like from many others: there are predatory plants in nature. They attract animals into traps - most often insects, although lizards, snails, and in some cases even small mammals can become their victims.
In this article, we will introduce you to carnivorous plants. Photos and their names will help you appreciate the exquisite beauty of these exotic plants.
Amazing plants
You should know that the so-called carnivorous plants can be found on all continents. Botanists have combined this group of perennial herbaceous plants. They often belong to different kinds and families, but they are united by a way of satisfying the "feeling of hunger".
You may know that plants have an autotrophic metabolism: they convert chemical compounds that are in the air and soil into organic matter. They serve as a food source for many living organisms. The situation is different with predatory plants (we will present photos and names below): they make up for the lack of necessary for their development chemical compounds thanks to additional nutrition: insects and much less often small animals.
Usually these perennial plants grow on rather poor soils, in which there is not enough phosphorus, nitrogen, magnesium, potassium, sodium. On the territory of Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union there are 18 species included in 4 genera carnivorous plants... You are probably wondering how they look. The inhabitants of the northwestern regions of Russia are well aware of the name of the predatory plant growing in marshy areas: these are two types of sundews - English and round-leaved.
It is interesting that in Russia the sundew has enjoyed good fame from time immemorial. She was even given a very affectionate name - sun or god's dew, crabgrass, king's eyes. Even before the advent of antibiotics widely used today, this plant was used by traditional healers to treat respiratory diseases, headaches and migraines, as cosmetic product from warts.
Types of carnivorous plants
Insectivorous plants are the collective name for nearly 630 species from 19 families that catch and digest small animals, most often insects. So they make up for photosynthesis of one of the forms of heterotrophic nutrition. As a result, the carnivorous plants, the photos of which we have posted in this article, are less dependent on soil inorganic nitrogen, which is necessary for the synthesis of their proteins.
These are mainly perennial herbaceous plants. Experts believe that true carnivorous plants have evolved into five different flower groups. How do these unusual creatures feed? Which plant is carnivorous? What features does it have? We will try to answer these questions.
As a rule, "predators" are quite attractive — they are brightly colored, have a strong scent that attracts insects. In fairness, it should be admitted that some predatory plants, photos of which can be seen in floriculture publications, smell so pleasant that not only insects like it. For example, the Venus flytrap has a sweet scent. The Indians consider this flower a symbol feminine, harmony and love. But the predatory plant Darlingtonia gives off a not very pleasant smell of rot. This is the result of digestive activity.
Over time, the leaves of predatory plants have changed, turning into trapping organs: water lilies (urns), which are filled with digesting liquid, sticky traps, quickly triggering traps. For example, a leaf of a sundew is dotted with droplets of a sticky substance. Americans call this plant grass. precious stones... The insect, attracted by the glitter, sits on the trap leaf and sticks tightly: the more actively the midge tries to free itself, the more firmly it is fixed in the sticky composition.
Most carnivorous plants are able to distinguish edible from inedible. They do not react to false signals such as raindrops. But when an insect sits on the trap, the villi on the leaf grab it from all sides, and the leaf curls up into a cocoon. In this state, substances are released from it, which in their composition are close to the digestive juice of animals. They dissolve the chitin of insect integuments, and nutrients are transported through the vessels of the plant. The trap is revealed in a few days - it is ready to hunt again.
In a zhiryanka, the leaf does not fold during the capture of an insect. The nitrogen contained in the victim's body gives an impetus to the production of a digesting fluid: outwardly it resembles fat, which is probably where the name of the plant comes from.
Darlingtonia, Sarracenia and Nepentas hunt in a slightly different way: the leaves of these plants have transformed into jugs that are filled with digestive juice. Insects, hitting the inner wall of the leaf, slide to the bottom of the trap, where they die.
The most active hunter is the Venus flytrap. Its leaves, more like shells, are covered with sensitive hairs. As soon as one of them is touched, the doors instantly slam shut. The plant begins to secrete digestive substances, and after the completion of the "meal" the leaves reopen. The digestive cycle in carnivorous plants lasts from five hours to two months.
And now we will present you the most interesting, in our opinion, plants. The names of predatory plants are mostly known only to specialists, but we hope that the photos placed under the description will help you remember these unusual representatives of the flora of our planet.
Nepenthes
From others carnivorous plants nepentes is distinguished by its size: the "jug" of such a plant often reaches a length of 30 cm. Such a trap is ideal for capturing and digesting insects and even small lizards, amphibians and mammals. The plant is famous for its sweet aroma, which attracts victims. As soon as they enter the jug, the plant begins to digest them. This process can take up to two months.
Scientists count about 150 Nepenthes species, which are native to the Eastern Hemisphere. Interestingly, the monkeys use jugs of some varieties of these plants as drinking cups, because these are large animals that are not threatened with the role of a victim.
Stylidium
Scientists continue to argue about the carnivorousness of this plant today. They did not come to a consensus on whether the stylium is truly carnivorous, or whether the plant is thus protecting itself from annoying insects. Some species have sticky hairs that trap non-pollinating insects, and their leaves secrete digestive enzymes.
Research is still underway to determine the significance of insects in the life of a stylium.
Zhiryanka
There are several versions explaining the origin of the name of this plant: digestive substances that resemble fat, wide leaves with a special oily coating. The homeland of this carnivorous plant is North, South and Central America, Eurasia. The fatty woman's victims get into the sticky mucus, and the food enzymes slowly dissolve them.
Darlingtonia
Quite a rare carnivorous plant that grows in northern California and the cold waters of the swamps of Oregon. It is very insidious: the plant not only lures insects into its jug due to its sweet aroma, but also has false "exits" in it. Doomed victims try to get out on them, but they only plunge more into sticky mucus.
Interestingly, scientists know that a certain type of insect pollinates this plant and remains unharmed, but which one is still unknown to science.
Genlisei
Unlike most carnivorous plants that we present to you today, the genlisea's diet most often consists of the simplest and other microscopic organisms, which it attracts and eats using special trap leaves growing underground. These underground leaves are long, light-colored and root-like in appearance. In addition to them, the plant also has ordinary green leaves that are above the ground and participate in the process of photosynthesis.
Genlisea is common in the regions of Africa, Central and South America.
Venus flytrap
Dionaea muscipula is a small carnivorous plant with an outstanding reputation. The great Charles Darwin considered it one of the most beautiful plants on our planet.
The Venus flytrap grows up to 15 cm wide. The leaves are arranged in rosettes around the underground stem. The plant can have from four to seven leaves, all of which are traps, which consist of two petals. There are thorns along the outer edge. The flycatcher grows low to the ground. This makes it easy for insects to crawl into the trap. The flowers are rather small in the shape of a star and are located at the ends of the stems.
The plant blooms in May-June, and then black small seeds of a predatory plant appear. Interesting fact: To minimize false flapping, the Venus flytrap has developed a unique mechanism for its trap: it will slam only when the victim touches two inner hairs for twenty seconds.
Aldrovanda bladder
And this is the aquatic version of the flycatcher, which swims on the water surface of lakes, has no roots and lures animals into its miniature traps, which slam shut in a hundredth of a second. Venus flytrap and Aldrovanda have a common ancestor - a plant that lived on our planet in the Cenozoic era.
Cephalot
The sweet aroma emitted by the cephalott attracts insects, which fall into its trap pitcher, where the victim is slowly digested. The lids of the plant's jugs resemble translucent cells that give insects a false hope of salvation. This plant is related to some flowering plants (for example, oaks and apple trees), which is not typical for other carnivorous species.
Roridula
This is a native South Africa... Despite the fact that roridula is a carnivorous plant, it cannot digest insects, capturing them with sticky hairs. The plant provides this work to horseflies of the species Pameridea roridulae. Bedbug waste is an excellent fertilizer. In Europe, fossils of this plant were discovered, the age of which is estimated at 40 million years.
Predatory plants at home
Even experienced florists recognize that to grow so unusual plants pretty hard. You may have attended exhibitions of carnivorous plants. To grow such samples, certain rules must be followed:
- it is advisable to grow predatory plants in florariums;
- they need soft diffused lighting, do not tolerate direct sunlight;
- watering is carried out with soft water. Many growers recommend using distilled;
- the vast majority of predatory plants do not tolerate drying out of the soil, while excessive moisture is also destructive for them;
- you should not fertilize the substrate in which the flower grows (perlite, sphagnum moss, vermiculite). Fertile soils are not used;
- "Predators" are almost never transplanted, only occasionally an overgrown plant is transferred into a large container;
- in winter, carnivorous plants enter a dormant period. At this time, the "predators" are not fed.
- The plant awakens in the spring when new traps begin to form.
Bloom
Experienced lovers of these exotic plants It is recommended to remove flower ovaries, explaining that this process greatly depletes the plant. This can be difficult to do: most of them are unusually beautiful flowers.
Feeding
Judging by the reviews of florists, this is perhaps the most difficult thing about keeping "predators" at home. The ideal food for these plants is what the plant feeds on naturally.
You do not need to feed the fatty woman and the sundew, they find food for themselves, provided that they are not kept in a closed florarium. Do not feed the flowers with insects that contain a large number of calcium. Fruit flies are fine for this purpose. Carnivorous plants are rarely grown from seeds - they do not germinate well. It is more advisable to purchase an adult plant.
There are many strange plants in the world, but the strangest, perhaps, are the predatory plants. Most of them feed on arthropods and insects, but there are some who do not refuse a piece of meat. They, like animals, secrete a special juice that helps break down and digest the victim, receiving the necessary nutrients from it.
Some of these carnivorous plants can be grown at home. Which ones and what they are, we will tell you further.
Sarracenia
The natural habitat of this plant is the east coast. North America, but today it is also found in Texas and southeastern Canada. Sarracenia catches its victims with leaves in a flower shaped like a jug with a deep funnel and a small hood over the hole. This scion protects the funnel from rainwater, which can dilute the digestive juices inside. It contains various enzymes, including protease. On the edge of the bright red water lily, juice is released, which smells like nectar. This is how the trap plant attracts insects. Sitting on its slippery edges, they do not hold, fall into the funnel and are digested.
Important! Today, there are more than 500 species of similar plants in different parts of the world. Most of them grow in South America, Australia, Africa. But all of them, regardless of the species, use one of five methods of catching prey: a flower in the shape of a jug, leaves closing like a trap, sucking traps, sticky traps, a trap in the form of a crab claw.
Nepenthes
Tropical plant that feeds on insects. It grows in the form of a liana, growing up to 15 meters in length. Leaves are formed on the liana, at the ends of which one antenna grows. At the end of the tendril, over time, a jug-shaped flower forms, which is used as a trap. By the way, this natural bowl collects water, which in natural environment monkeys drink habitat. For this, it received another name - "Monkey cup".
The liquid inside a natural cup is a little sticky, sometimes just liquid. Insects simply drown in it, and then are digested by the plant. This process takes place at the bottom of the bowl, where special glands are located to absorb and redistribute nutrients.
Did you know? The famous naturalist Karl Linnaeus, who created the system of classification of wildlife in the 18th century, which we still use today, refused to believe that such a thing was possible. After all, if the Venus flytrap really eats insects, it violates the order of nature instituted by God. Linnaeus believed that plants catch insects by accident, and if the unfortunate insect stops twitching, it will be released.Plants that feed on animals give us an inexplicable anxiety. Probably, the fact is that this order of things contradicts our ideas about the universe.
This insectivorous plant has about 130 species that grow mainly in the Seychelles, Madagascar, the Philippines, as well as Sumatra, Borneo, India, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, China. Most of the plants form small trap pitchers and feed only on insects. But species such as Nepenthes Rajah and Nepenthes Rafflesiana are not squeamish about small mammals. This carnivorous flower is quite successful in digesting mice, hamsters and small rats.
Carnivorous plant genlisea (Genlisea)
This delicate, at first glance, grass grows mainly in the southern and Central America as well as in Africa, Brazil and Madagascar. The leaves of many plant species, of which there are more than 20, secrete a thick gel to attract and retain prey. But the trap itself is in the soil, where the plant lures insects with attractive scents. 
The trap is a hollow spiral tube that releases fermented liquid. They are covered from the inside with villi directed downward from the exit, which does not allow the victim to get out. The tubes also act as the roots of the plant. Above, the plant has neat photosynthetic leaves, as well as a flower on a leg about 20 cm. The flower, depending on the species, can have a different color, but mostly yellow shades prevail. Although genlisea belongs to insectivorous plants, it feeds mainly on microorganisms.
Californian Darlingtonia (Darlingtonia Californica)
Only one plant is attributed to the genus Darlingtonia - Californian Darlingtonia. You can find it in the springs and swamps of California and Oregon. Although it is believed that this rare plant prefers running water. The trap is the red-orange leaves of the plant. They have the shape of a cobra's hood, and on top is a light green jug, from the end of which two leaves hang. The jug, where insects are lured by a specific aroma, has a diameter of 60 cm. Inside it, villi grow towards the digestive organs. Thus, an insect that has got inside has only one way - into the depths of the plant. It can no longer return to the surface. 
Pemphigus (Utricularia)
The genus of these plants, which includes 220 species, got its name for great amount bubbles from 0.2 mm to 1.2 cm, which are used as a trap. The bubbles contain negative pressure and a small valve that opens inward and easily sucks insects into the middle along with water, but does not let them out. The plant is fed by both tadpoles and water fleas, and the simplest unicellular organisms. The plant has no roots, since it lives in water. Above the water, it releases a peduncle with a small flower. It is considered the world's fastest predatory plant. Grows in moist soil or water everywhere except Antarctica. 
Chiryanka (Pinguicula)
The plant has bright green or pink leaves covered with a sticky liquid that lures and digests insects. The main habitat is Asia, Europe, North and South America.
Important! Today, the popularity of carnivorous house plants has increased so much that botanists keep secret the places where such plants were discovered. Otherwise, they are immediately ruined by poachers who are engaged in illegal hunting and trade in insectivorous plants.
The surface of the leaves of zhiryanka has two types of cells. Some produce a slimy and sticky secretion that appears on the surface in the form of drops. The task of other cells is to produce special enzymes for digestion: esterase, protease, amylase. Among the 73 plant species, there are some that are active all year round... And there are those who “fall asleep” for the winter, forming a dense non-carnivorous outlet. When the temperature rises environment the plant produces carnivorous leaves. 
Rosyanka (Drosera)
One of the most beautiful domestic predator plants. In addition, it is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants. It includes no less than 194 species that can be found almost anywhere in the world, except for Antarctica. 
Most species form basal rosettes, but some species produce vertical rosettes up to a meter in height. All of them are strewn with glandular tentacles, at the ends of which there are droplets of sticky secretions. The insects attracted by them sit on them, stick, and the rosette begins to roll up, covering the victims in the trap. The glands located on the leaf surface secrete digestive juices and absorb nutrients.
Byblis
Biblis, despite its carnivorousness, is also called the rainbow plant. Originally from Northern and Western Australia, it is also found in New Guinea on marshy wet soils. It grows as a small shrub, but sometimes it can reach 70 cm in height. It produces beautiful flowers of purple hues, but there are also pure white petals. There are five curved stamens inside the inflorescence. But the trap for insects are leaves with a round cross-section, covered with glandular hairs. Like the sundew, they have a slimy sticky substance at the ends to lure victims. Likewise, there are two types of glands on the leaves: which secrete bait and which digest food. But, unlike sundew, biblis does not release enzymes for this process. Botanists are still debating and researching the digestion of food by plants. 
Aldrovanda vesiculosa
When amateur flower growers are interested in the name of a flower that eats insects, they rarely learn about bladder aldrovand. The fact is that the plant lives in water, has no roots, and therefore is little used in home breeding. It feeds mainly on crustaceans and small aquatic larvae. 
As traps, it uses filamentous leaves up to 3 mm in length, which grow in 5-9 pieces around the circumference of the stem along its entire length. Wedge-shaped petioles, filled with air, grow on the leaves, which allows the plant to stay close to the surface. At their ends are cilia and a shell-shaped bivalve plate covered with sensitive hairs. As soon as they are irritated by the victim, the leaf closes along, grabbing it and digesting it.
The stems themselves reach a length of 11 cm. Aldrovanda grows quickly, adding in growth up to 9 mm per day, forming a new curl every day. However, as it grows at one end, the plant dies at the other. The plant produces single small white flowers.
Sakura is most often associated with Japan and its culture. Picnics in the shade flowering trees have long become an integral attribute of the meeting of spring in the Country rising sun... Financial and academic year here it starts from April 1, when the magnificent cherry blossoms bloom. Therefore, many significant moments in the life of the Japanese are marked by their blossoming. But sakura grows well in cooler regions - certain species can be successfully grown even in Siberia.
We have prepared a hearty, incredibly appetizing and simply elementary dish for you today. This gravy is one hundred percent universal, as it goes with every side dish: vegetables, pasta, or whatever. Gravy with chicken and mushrooms will save you in moments when there is no time or you don't want to think too much about what to cook. Grab your favorite side dish (you can do it ahead of time to keep everything hot), add the gravy and lunch is ready! A real lifesaver.
Agriculture belongs to such types human activity, the successful outcome of which is not always directly proportional to the efforts made. Unfortunately, nature does not necessarily act as our ally in growing plants, but often even, on the contrary, throws up new challenges. Increased reproduction of pests, abnormal heat, late return frosts, hurricane winds, drought ... And one of the springs presented us with another surprise - a flood.
With the coming of the season summer cottage works the question arises of growing strong and healthy seedlings of our favorite vegetables: cabbage, tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplant and many other crops. Along with this, the question arises - how to grow decent seedlings and in the future to get healthy plants from it and decent harvest? For example, I have been growing seedlings for a single season and protect my garden from diseases with the help biological products Alirin-B, Gamair, Glyokladin, Trichocin.
I will allow myself to confess my love today. In love for ... lavender. One of the best unpretentious, evergreen and flowering shrubs that can be successfully grown in your garden. And if someone thinks that lavender is Mediterranean, or at least southern, then you are wrong. Lavender grows well in more northern regions, even in the Moscow region. But in order to grow it, you need to know some rules and features. They will be discussed in this article.
Having once tasted such a priceless product as pumpkin, it is already difficult to stop looking for new recipes for serving it to the table. Korean style pumpkin, despite its pungency and spice, has a fresh and delicate taste. After cooking, you will need to cover the salad and let it brew for at least 15 minutes. My butternut squash is very juicy and sweet, so there is no need to crush it. If the pumpkin is of a different variety, then you can knead it with your hands so that it slightly sips the juice.
Salad, as the earliest and unpretentious green culture, has always been held in high esteem by gardeners. Spring planting most summer residents usually start by sowing lettuce, parsley and radish. V Lately the pursuit of a healthy diet and big choice greens in supermarkets make gardeners wonder which of these plants can be grown in their beds? In this article, we will tell you about nine of the most interesting, in our opinion, types of salad.
Another “bonus” is always “attached” to the flowering of indoor roses - capriciousness. When they say that it is easy to grow roses in rooms, they are disingenuous. For flowering indoor roses must be created literally ideal conditions... And vigilant care, attention and response to any plant signals is the main guarantee of success. True, no matter how capricious roses are, growing them in a pot format can be quite successful. And attentive flower growers should not be afraid of this.
Pollock is best cooked in a casserole, separating the fillets from the skin and bones. Pieces of fish are mixed with a variegated vegetable set, poured over with a sauce of cheese, sour cream and eggs. This fish casserole has a presentable look, and its taste is a whimsical mixture of subtle nuances. Vegetables and fillets are soaked in sour cream, the cheese will harden with a golden brown crust, eggs will tie all the ingredients together. Pieces of fish are abundantly sprinkled with Italian herbs, and pollock acquires an unusual piquancy.
Despite the fact that the calendar spring begins in March, you can truly feel the awakening of nature only with the appearance flowering plants in the garden. Nothing testifies to the arrival of spring as eloquently as the clearing of flowering primroses. Their appearance is always a small holiday, because winter has receded, and a new gardening season awaits us. But besides spring primroses, the garden still has something to see and admire in the month of April.
Growing rapidly and turning into wild thickets, hogweed disrupts the existing ecosystem and suppresses all other plants. Essential oils contained in the fruits and leaves of hogweed, cause severe forms of dermatitis. At the same time, it is much more difficult to deal with it than with other common weeds. Fortunately, today a remedy has appeared on the free market that can rid your site of most weeds, including hogweed, in a short time.
Carrots happen different colors: orange, white, yellow, purple. V orange carrots beta-carotene and lycopene predominate, yellow due to the presence of xanthophylls (lutein); white carrots are high in fiber, while purple carrots contain anthocyanin, beta and alpha carotenes. But, as a rule, gardeners choose carrot varieties for sowing not by the color of the fruit, but by the timing of their ripening. About the best early, middle and late varieties we will explain in this article.
Recommended enough easy recipe pie with an appetizing chicken and potato filling. Open pie with chicken and potatoes - this is an excellent hearty dish that is suitable for a hearty snack, it is very convenient to take a couple of pieces of this pastry on the road. The cake is baked in the oven for one hour at 180 degrees. After that we put it on wooden surface, having previously released it from the form. It is enough to slightly cool the baked goods and you can start tasting.
The long-awaited spring for many indoor plants is the period of the start of active vegetation, and for the majority - and the return of their decorative effect. Admiring young leaves and emerging shoots, one should not forget that spring is also a great stress for all indoor plants. Sensitive and versatile, all indoor crops face much brighter lighting, changes in air humidity and temperature conditions.
You can easily prepare homemade Easter cake with cottage cheese and candied fruits, even without any pastry experience behind you. You can bake Easter cake not only in a special form or in paper mold... For the first culinary experiences (and not only), I advise you to take a small cast-iron pan. The cake in a frying pan will not turn out as high as in a narrow form, but it never burns and always bakes well inside! Yeast curd dough turns out to be airy and aromatic.
Surely many have heard of flowers that eat animals and insects. Today science knows about several hundred such plants. To characterize them, terms such as "carnivorous flowers" or simply "predatory plants" are used. Most of them feed on medium-sized insects, but there are specimens that can even digest a frog.
There are also house plants. that feed on insects. Fans of carnivorous flowers claim that their pet is excellent at fighting mosquitoes and flies, significantly reducing the population.
What are these plants and why did they become insectivorous?
Such flowers can be found on all continents except Antarctica. Most of them are herbaceous perennial plants. They belong to two families- Bubble and Rosyankovye. Plant predators are also found on the territory of the CIS countries. Some of them, for example, alpine zhiryanka, are listed in the Red Book of their countries.
These plants feed on insects have become in the process of evolution. Most of them settle on poor soils where there is a lack of nitrogen and other vital substances. Thus, by eating insects, they receive the necessary nutrition. In the process of evolution, the ability to digest animal protein was developed, and the flowers themselves acquired a lot of qualities that could attract attention. Many of these plants have a smell that insects associate with honey nectar, and they use the peculiar color of leaves and flowers as a distraction.
There are predators in which the inflorescence grows in the form of a water lily. In it, as in a bowl, water is collected in the rain, and for a long time kept in excellent condition. Attracted by the opportunity to drink water, the unfortunate insects sit on the petal and slide down to the bottom of the bowl. After the victim drowns, the plant sap enters the process, which in its action resembles gastric juice.
The process of catching a gullible insect as follows. As soon as a bee or a butterfly sits on the petals, hairs with enzymes enter the hunt process. The structure of the petal has a lot of traps that can reliably hold the insect and it is almost impossible to escape from the bait. Special enzymes containing poison kill the victim, and the juices from his body flow into the plant tissue. Only the chitinous shell remains of the insect, which is not digested.
Nevertheless, protein food for predators is only a source of microelements missing in the soil, because photosynthesis remains the main food.
Insectivorous plants
There are about one hundred thousand plants that eat insects in the world. Consider the most famous of them.
Genlisei
The habitat of Genlisei is South America and Africa. The herbaceous plant has spiral traps. Thanks to the villi inside the trap, the insect is retained for further absorption. It is noteworthy that only those leaves that grow below, along the surface of the earth, are carnivorous. They just feed on small insects and protozoa, acting as roots, while top leaves absolutely safe.
Darlingtonia
Unusual carnivorous plant in the form of a bulb. In the process of evolution, it has formed sharp petals in the form of animal fangs. Darlingtonia uses a special claw for hunting. Outwardly, it looks like an asymmetrical flower. with villi inside. The insidious predator uses its color coloration to lure the prey, which confuses the insect with the help of bright spots on the surface.
Insectivorous plants with water lily traps
- Nepentes.
- Saccoid cephalotus.
- Sarracenia.
Nepentes
He, like many insectivorous plants, has water lily-shaped petals. There are at least one hundred and twenty species of this plant. Some of them are quite large and can eat even small mammals such as mice. Nepentes is widespread in Asia, Australia and India. Monkeys use this flower as a source of water.... That is why the aborigines called Nepentes "the monkey bowl". It grows in the form of a vine with a small root system.
There is always water in the bucket flowers. Insects that sit on a water lily simply drown in it, and then the gastric juice of the plant enters the process.
Saccoid cephalotus
Large strong water lilies with denticles at the edges they attract insects with the help of a specific smell. The surface of the water lilies itself is smooth and the victim easily slips to the bottom of the inflorescence, from which it is no longer possible to get out. Most often, large tropical ants become victims.
Sarracenia
You can only meet her in the north of the United States and Canada. The carnivorous Sarracenia catches its prey with the help of water lily-shaped inflorescences. Digestive juice is formed on the petals, which are reliably protected from moisture ingress. It attracts insects with its specific smell, reminiscent of nectar. Sat down on the surface the petal, the victim is paralyzed by the instantly released narcotic poison.
Insectivorous plants that live in the water
- Suction bladder.
- Bubble Aldrovanda.
These predators prefer to live in swampy areas where they have a lot of food in the form of mosquitoes and marsh flies.
Suction bladder
This insectivorous plant can be found in many parts of our planet. It is not, perhaps, only in the Far North. With the power of the bubbles, which are hollow inside, the bubble sucks in its prey. Since the plant lives in water, water fleas and tadpoles become its prey. The process of catching prey itself is very fast and efficient. A small vacuum cleaner tries to suck in with water everything that floats by, and only then releases it, leaving everything you need for itself.
Bubble Aldrovanda
Inhabits water, and prefers swampy areas where there are a lot of insects and tadpoles ... Filamentous stems in the water form a dense growth. The bristles are elongated, and there are swellings on the crustacean plates. Thanks to these swellings, Aldrovanda feels the victim and instantly collapses it. The process of digestion takes longer, at the end of which only the shell remains of the insect.
Most predatory plants prefer to trap their prey with a sticky surface.
Sticky zhiryanka
Its method of catching is similar to the sticky tape, which until recently was used in every home against flies. The leaves have a pleasant pink, and in some places, bright green color. With the help of cells capable of digesting animal food, the plant attracts insects, since the smell emanating from the trunk reminds them of nectar. Sitting on a sticky surface, the victim can no longer take off and becomes food for the flower. There are species that go into hibernation and hide in a dense outlet during the winter months.
Bibles rainbow
Outwardly, this Australian predator looks like a sundew, but in fact the plant is special kind carnivorous flora. The rounded sheets have hairs that secrete very aggressive pink mucus. Cute flowers are painted with all the colors of the rainbow, and inside the inflorescence there are large stamens. The victim, after sitting on the flower, sticks to it tightly.
Venus flytrap
A small carnivorous plant with a thick stem and pretty white flowers is happily bred in home greenhouses. It has no more than four leaves on each stem. The victim, falling on the predator's leaf, slams into the trap, after which gastric juice enters the process. The sheets are flattened and thickened, increasing in volume. If the victim is large, then it takes at least a week to digest it. The bait, like many predators, is the mucus secreted by the leaf.
Small plant with thin sticky leaves are considered a real glutton among other plant predators. In one day, Lusitanian Rosolite can catch and digest up to thirty large insects... He lures them with the help of a sweet sticky mass secreted on the surface of the leaf.
Insectivorous plants in the house
Recently, growing insectivorous flowers at home has become very popular among fans of home vegetation. Already you will surprise no one with such exoticism as the Venus flytrap or Sarracenia. People are attracted by everything bright, unusual and dangerous. Someone gets predatory animals or poisonous reptiles, and some of all the inhabitants of the aquarium prefer piranhas. Florists are not far behind.
What is needed for a predator plant felt great in a city apartment.
Did you know that there are several hundred carnivorous plants in the world? No, they are not as scary as in the American movie "The Little Shop of Horrors". Such flowers feed on insects, tadpoles and even frogs and rats. Interestingly, some predatory plants have long established themselves as useful pets. Claim that home flower that eats insects helps fight pests such as mosquitoes, flies and spiders.
Why plants switched to animal food
The insect-eating plant has evolutionarily changed its diet not from a good life. All types of these carnivores grow on soils lacking in nitrogen and other nutrients. It is very difficult for them to survive on sandy soils or peat, so some species have adapted to life due to the ability to assimilate animal protein. It is animal food that is able to fully renew the reserves of nitrogen and minerals.
Plants use various traps to catch the victim. In addition, all plant predators are distinguished by their bright color and attractive scent, which insects associate with nectar-bearing flowers. But do not forget that animal food is only "vitamins" for plants, and the main food for them is photosynthesis.
Varieties of carnivorous plants
To date, scientists have described about 500 species of carnivorous plants that belong to 19 families. It can be concluded that the evolutionary development of these groups of organisms took place in parallel and independently.
The most famous plants that eat insects:
- sarracenia;
- genlisei;
- darlingtonia;
- pemphigus;
- zhiryanka;
- sundew;
- biblis;
- bubble aldrovand;
- Venus flytrap.
An interesting fact: flycatchers have the Latin name muscipula, which translated into Russian means not "flytrap", but "mousetrap". 
The prevalence of entomophagous plants
Predatory plants are not only exotic representatives of the biosphere. They are found everywhere - from the equator to the Arctic. Most often they can be stumbled upon in wet places, especially in swamps. Most species are recorded in the southwestern part of Australia. Some species are eurybionts and grow in many biocenoses. The range of other species is more limited - for example, the Venus flytrap in nature is found exclusively in South and North Carolina.
What species grow on the territory of Russia
In Russia, there are 13 species of carnivorous plants from 4 genera. The genus Rosyanka is represented by two species: common sundew and English sundew. They grow mainly on sphagnum bogs. Aldrovand vesicularis occurs in the European part Russian Federation and on Far East and the Caucasus.
The genus Pemphigus in Russia is represented by four species, the most common of which is pemphigus vulgaris. This aquatic plants, which differ in their growth rate. They are found in shallow waters throughout Russia (with the exception of the Far North). Also in our area you can find representatives of the genus Zhiryanka, which grow on swamps, stream banks, and some - on trees and mosses.
Diet of carnivorous flowers
Most carnivorous plants (sundew, sarracenia, nepentes) feed on insects. The diet of aquatic representatives, such as aldrovands or pemphigus, is predominantly small crustaceans. There are also species that hunt for larger prey: fry of fish, newts, toads and reptiles. One of the largest representatives of carnivores, Nepentes Rafflesa and Nepentes Raja, feed not only on insects, but also on mammals such as mice and rats. 
Types of trap organs
Predators catch their prey with trap organs, which, depending on the species, are of several types:
- jug leaves. This design has a lid, and is filled with water inside (nepentes, darlingtonia);
- trap leaves. The modified leaf consists of two valves with teeth at the edges. When the insect is inside, the flaps close (Venus flytrap);
- sticky leaves. On the leaf plates there are special hairs that secrete a sticky secret that attracts insects (sundew, fatty);
- suction traps. Water together with the victim is sucked into a special bubble (pemphigus) under pressure;
- crab claw traps. The victims easily fall into them, but cannot get out because of the hairs growing forward in a spiral (genlisei).
At home, you can keep the following types of carnivorous plants:
- Venus flytrap;
- all types of sundew;
- tropical zhiryanka;
- sarracenia;
- dwarf nepentes.
In Russia, the most popular indoor predator is the Venus flytrap. The flower pot should be kept on a well-lit windowsill or on a table with artificial lighting. Indoor air temperature should be between 18-25 ° C in summer and 10-13 ° C in winter. Since the flycatcher - moisture-loving plant, the soil in the pot must be constantly moistened. Water the plant with clean rain or melt water. 