If we knew the names of all these wonderful blossoms we would gladly tell you. However, we can show them to you . . .
Above: Carnivorous
plants! Now these interesting specimens we can tell you something
about, courtesy of information supplied by the Botanical Gardens. They
belong to a family commonly known as ‘pitcher plants’ of
which there are about seventy species. The pitchers are modified leaves
and the examples in the left picture even have lids. Insects are attracted
to the mouth of the pitcher by nectar glands. The surface just inside
the lip is extremely slippery and the the insects fall into the liquid
which partially fills the pitcher. Glands produce a digestive fluid
which dissolves the insect. Carnivorous plants are usually found where
the soil is low in nutrients and the plants supplement their diet with
proteins and minerals from insects.
