When one thinks of Carnivorous Plants, without doubt, the first plant one thinks of is the Venus Fly Trap.

This plant is unique as it is one of the only ones that use motion to trap its prey. The plant consists of two lobes linked in the middle, like a door hinge. These lobes have 3 tiny fine hairs on each side and when an insect crawls over these hairs, it will start to count! Yup, it counts. It counts how long it takes before the next hair is triggered, which is why it is referred to as the “Clever Carnivore” :-)

If this hair is triggered again within the set time frame (usually about 20 seconds), the traps snap shut in less than half a second and the long teeth create a cage, preventing the insect from crawling out.

The trap then starts to count again, and if these hairs continue to be triggered while the trap is shut, it will close tighter, creating a seal. During this phase, the teeth of the trap start bending outwards so that they are no longer interlaced. The rims of the traps close tightly together creating a water-tight seal, and the digestive enzymes are then released, drowning the insect and beginning the digestion process.

If the trap has snapped shut and no further hairs are triggered, due to the insect escaping, for example, the trap will slowly, over the next day or two, re-open without wasting energy sealing and releasing digestive juices for nothing.

Watch the short, but interesting, video below on how the process works.

What most non-enthusiasts don’t know, is just how diverse this species of plant is. There are over 600 different varieties of these amazing plants, each with unique characteristics that make you want to collect them all.

Below are pictures of a few of these beauties from my private collection, showing the diversity in not only trap size but colour, length of teeth and just overall appeal :-)