Pitcher Plants
Imagine a beautiful plant that lures insects to their death by a sweet smell and enticing pigmentation. And to top it off, the pitcher plant then proceeds to eat its victim.
Pitcher Plants have a “pitcher-like” shape that features a deep cavity filled with liquid. Insects are attracted visually and or by odor to it. Once there, the insect such as a fly falls into the pitcher like body and cannot get out because the sides are slippery and grooved. The liquid does 3 things to the insect:
As the insect is dissolved it becomes a soup of amino acids, nitrogen, phosphorus, peptides, and other minerals. This soup is what the pitcher plant absorbs for its food and nutrition. 
The question should be… “Why doesn’t the pitcher plant just take nutrients out of the soil like other plants”? and “ Why go through all the hassle of trapping and consuming insects when you could just draw food from the soil”?
The answer is that these plants natural habitats are bogs and swamps where the soil is poor in minerals and the soil is highly acidic. Most other plants could not survive in such soil conditions but the pitcher plant does because it gets its nutrition from outside sources… Insects. Where are Pitcher Plants From?: They originate from locations all around the world including:
The key ingredient desired is a plentiful supply of insects for consumption. Pitcher Plants are beautiful and take on beautiful differences depending on where they originate.
Note: Insects beware… Everything that smells great and is beautiful is not always good for you. It is good for the health and nutrition of the Pitcher Plant however. |
