by Rich Leighton | Jun 23, 2020 | Florida Nature Facts, Florida Nature Photography, Natural History, Nature & Wildlife, Wildflowers
Can a plant me any more badass than tread softly (Cnidoscolus stimulosus)? It has stinging hairs like nettle, sticky latex and spiky leaves that release cyanide when damaged, and nectaries on its leaves that attract protective ants to their sugary sweetness. MORE...
by Rich Leighton | Sep 20, 2019 | Carnivorous Plants, Florida Nature Facts, Florida Nature Photography, Natural History, Nature & Wildlife
The 600 or so carnivorous species on the planet today thrive in places where other plants struggle, including bogs and heaths. The adaptation of trapping and digesting prey has arisen at least nine times in different plant families in response to soil lacking the...
by Rich Leighton | Sep 15, 2019 | Carnivorous Plants, Florida Nature Facts, Florida Nature Photography, Natural History, Nature & Wildlife
Pitcher plants are shaped like a pitcher or narrow champagne glass. The top and inside of the pitcher is covered with a slippery, but sweet-smelling nectar. When insects come to take a sip, they slip and fall into the pitcher which is typically filled with water and...
by Rich Leighton | Sep 10, 2019 | Carnivorous Plants, Florida Nature Facts, Florida Nature Photography, Natural History, Nature & Wildlife
Often described as “living flypaper”, the sundew has tentacle-like leaves which are covered in sticky, glandular hairs. The plant’s tacky secretion gives off a sweet scent, which attracts insects. Once an insect is stuck to its leaf, the sundew will curl...
by Rich Leighton | Aug 24, 2019 | Carnivorous Plants, Florida Nature Facts, Florida Nature Photography, Nature & Wildlife
Butterworts have flat, sticky leaves that function like a cross between flypaper and a stomach. When insects land on a butterwort’s leaves, they get stuck in goo that’s excreted by sticky glands. The plant releases digestive enzymes and absorbs those tasty bug...
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