Carnivorous plants...

[Mark Dalton]

Originally Posted by Rich Z

Well, they can die from lack of nutrients. They do get energy from sunlight, just like any other plants, but they need the nutrients that trapped insects provide. Unfortunately, trying to add nutrients via fertilizer in the soil apparently just kills them outright. People who grow them inside actually have to manually feed them periodically to keep them alive. Which is why I want them to grow outside. I really don't want to have mouths to have to feed. Had my fill of that when I had the snake breeding business.

What sort of mechanism do they use to attract prey? Is it coloring or a scent of some sort?

[Rich Z]

Originally Posted by Mark Dalton

What sort of mechanism do they use to attract prey? Is it coloring or a scent of some sort?

Actually both. And there is some sort of nectar that must be tasty to the bugs. Sort of a "last meal" offering, I suppose.

I'm actually leaning more towards the sundews than the other forms, as they seem better at getting rid of the numerous gnats that seem to be everywhere. Plus they are supposed to work well for mosquitoes as well. So these seem better suited for small insect prey.

It's a shame that the area around the stream we have on our property is so heavily wooded, otherwise I would try to relocate and establish some native sundews there. But I think they wouldn't get enough direct sunlight there for them to thrive.

[Mark Dalton]

You're probably right. From the pics I've seen of your property, there would be very little sunlight reaching them. It almost reminds me of pics Ive seen of the rain forest. The trees form such a thick overhead canopy that the forest floor is very dimly lit.