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Drosera Forum
Now this is a
"Carnivorous Plant"! 
Whenever I heard
the words, "Carnivorous
Plant" I used to think
of a Venus Flytrap.
Especially if a nice
photograph of a Venus
Flytrap plant was nearby.
Now I most usually think
of a Butterwort (Pinguicula)
rather than a Venus
Flytrap.
This is the photo of a
Mexican Butterwort
species, Pinguicula
potosiensis. It and
its many relatives grow
and thrive in
conditions similar to
African Violets and
their
flowers can be just as showy,
yet it too is a
Carnivorous Plant. Its
capture method isn't as
dramatic as a Venus
Flytrap, but the sticky
flypaper like surface of
its leaves is a very
insidious and effective
trap.
And this is a photo of a
Sundew (Drosera)
species, Drosera
venusta. Sundews do
not have spring-jaw
traps like the Venus
Flytrap, yet they too
are Carnivorous Plants.
They have a trap more
like the Butterwort,
insects become stuck on
the short, sticky,
mucilage-tipped
tentacles. The
tentacles, and often the
entire leaf will then
fold over and hold the
prey tight against the
leaf surface for
digestion and absorption
of nutrients from the
prey; see the leaves in
the 4:00 position on
each of the two plants
in this photo.
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