Carnivorous Plants

Carnivorous plants are plants that catch and digest insects and other small animals. They grow in places where the soil does not have enough nutrients. Eating bugs gives them the extra nutrition they need. There are over 600 species of carnivorous plants.

Trapping Prey

Carnivorous plants use different traps to catch food. The Venus flytrap snaps shut when a bug touches its trigger hairs. Pitcher plants have slippery tubes that insects fall into. Sundew plants have sticky droplets on their leaves that trap bugs like glue.

Where They Grow

Most carnivorous plants grow in bogs, swamps, and other wet places. The soil in these areas is low in nutrients like nitrogen. By eating insects, these plants get nutrients they cannot get from the soil. Carnivorous plants are found on every continent except Antarctica.

Fun Facts

• The Venus flytrap can snap shut in less than half a second.
• Some pitcher plants are big enough to catch frogs and small mice.
• Carnivorous plants still make their own food from sunlight like other plants.

Did You Know?

The Venus flytrap grows wild in only one tiny area of the world, within 75 miles of Wilmington, North Carolina!