Leaf Curling on a Venus Flytrap

Native Living Environment

• Carnivorous plants like the Venus Flytrap grow in bog-like areas where the soil is both nutrient- and mineral-poor. The plants do absorb nutrients from gases in the air and from the limited supply in the soil, but they're much healthier when they receive the added nutrition that insects provide. The constant wetness of the bogs is ideal for these plants because the bog naturally attracts insects that the plant can trap and digest for nourishment.

Venus Flytrap Leaves

• The anatomy of the Venus Flytrap leaf is unique among plants. Each leaf has two lobes that are attached by a hinge that controls the curling-like movement that closes the trap. The margins of each leaf are covered with short stiff hairs, called sensitive or trigger hairs. Trigger hairs and cilia excrete a dewy substance that insects mistake for plant nectar. Within a few minutes of entrapment, a tight seal forms so bacteria stays out and the digestive juices remain inside the leaves. According to the Botanical Society of America, scientists believe that some type of fluid pressure is activated by an actual electrical current running through each lobe. This may be what causes the leaves to close so digestion can begin.

Venus Flytrap Digestion

• The inside of the Venus Flytrap leaves are filled with a liquid substance that serves two functions: it drowns insects, and it breaks down the nutrients from the insect. The digestive process takes from five to 12 days, during which the enzymes and digestive juices absorb everything from the soft inner part of the insect's body, then the trap reabsorbs the digestive fluid and all of the nutrients from the insect. Upon completion, the leaves open and the remaining hard ektoskeleton is either blown away in the wind or is washed away by rain.

Growing Venus Flytraps

• Venus flytraps are easy to grow as houseplants, especially in terrariums, because they thrive in humidity. The planting medium should contain sand and sphagnum moss, but avoid adding fertilizer or lime. Venus flytraps like wet feet and direct sun, so long as the temperature inside the container doesn't get too hot. Pay particular attention to the temperature inside the container during summer months. The opposite is true in winter, so it may be necessary to move the container away from a drafty window. Covering the container at night during the winter may help maintain consistent humidity and temperature levels. Flytraps can eat dead insects, but traps won't close on insects that aren't moving. To stimulate the action of a live insect, squeeze the trap and move the dead insect around inside it.