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In this article, Raven writes about sundews.
Sundews
Sundews
By Raven Tucker
By Raven Tucker
The popular movie/musical Little Shop of Horrors features a plant monster named Audrey II, a creature that looks similar to a Venus flytrap. The Venus flytrap, a well-known plant, is easy to recognize, but what about other, lesser-known carnivorous plants? Sundews, in particular, are interesting.
Sundews are found on every continent in the world besides Antarctica. They self-pollinate and grow in wet, open areas like bogs. Due to being carnivorous, they get nutrients from insects and do well in areas that lack natural nutrients. A significant amount of a sundew’s diet includes mosquitoes, since they are common in a sundew’s habitat. Because of the gradual decrease of wetlands, they are becoming endangered or threatened.
There are multiple types of sundews and many of them look different. Some are round, some are long, and some have even adapted to look like other plants to attract prey, according to Carnivorous Plants, a business specializing in selling carnivorous plants. One thing they do have in common is having sticky leaves that look like hairs, which wrap around insects and trap them for the plant to consume.
Sundews are an interesting topic for scientists to study because of how they ingest insects. Their leaves have small drops on the end that look like dew, and they produce nectar to attract prey. The U.S. Department of Agriculture explains what the process of digestion is like. Insects will fly to the plant and get trapped by the sticky leaves. From there, the insect will die of exhaustion, and digestive enzymes will break it down. Once it is done, the leaves will unfurl, leaving just the exoskeleton.
Every plant in the world is significant, whether it be a massive redwood tree or a small daisy. Sundews and other carnivorous plants are just as important, making as much of a contribution to our environment as any other.
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