A Savage Prairie - Carnivorous Plants

The carnivorous plants on the refuge grow in specialized wetlands called wet pine savannas. These habitats are seasonally flooded and remain wet for most of the year. Wet pine savannas get moisture from rainfall that collects on the clay soil surface, creating very muddy, soft soils that often pond.

Wet pine savanna soils are acidic in nature and have very low nutrient capacity. As such, the plants that grow in wet pine savannas are adapted for moist, high acid, low nutrient conditions. Some plants of the savannas make up the lack of nutrients in the soil by capturing, killing, and digesting animals -- mostly insects. These are called carnivorous plants.

The refuge is the home of 10 species of carnivorous plants that fall into four main groups:

The sundews and butterworts capture prey on small sticky, glue-like pads on their leaves. Insects are attracted to the sticky substance. Once they land on a leaf they are trapped by the glue. The leaf will roll up around the insect to encase it.

The plant will then release chemicals to digest the insect. The plant will absorb the nutrients released from the insect.

When the plant is done, the leaf will unroll and the insect exoskeleton will be released.

Because they are small, sundews and butterworts require careful observation as you walk through the savanna. But with a careful eye, you may see one of these plants with an insect trapped within it.

Pitcher plants have another unique method of capturing insects. The pitcher is actually a modified leaf and can hold water! Insects are attracted to nectar produced at the rim and on the inside of the pitcher.

As the insect crawls into the pitcher to get more nectar, it is trapped by downward pointing hairs that do not allow the insect to crawl back out. When the insect tires of trying to get out, it falls down into the base of the pitcher which is filled with digestive enzymes.

Like the sundews and butterworts, the pitcher plant uses the nutrients released from the insects. Look down into the pitcher plants you see on the refuge. You will see the many insects that have fallen prey to the mighty pitcher plant!

One of the most elaborate and specialized methods for capturing prey is seen in the bladderworts. This plant has small bladders that have a trap door on one end. When the bladder is empty, the door is closed. If an insect brushes against the small hairs on the door, it swings open. Water and insect rush into the bladder. The door closes, trapping the insect inside.