VENUS FLY TRAP Seeds ~ D.Muscipula Carnivorous ~ Freshly Picked
 
 
The Venus flytrap is one of a kind. Nectar in its "traps"—actually modified leaves—attracts insects. When an unsuspecting insect brushes against tiny trigger hairs on a leaf-trap though, the trap snaps shut in less than a second.
 
Once the trap is tightly closed, digestive acids and enzymes dissolve the insect, and the plant absorbs the nutrient-rich "soup." Seven to ten days later, the trap opens, ready for another meal.

Rather than wasting energy on falling raindrops or other inedible objects, a Venus flytrap tracks the number of times the insect trips its tiny hairs before activating its digestive juices. A trap’s trigger hairs must be struck twice within a 20-second time frame for the trap to snap shut.
 

Like other plants, Venus flytraps photosynthesize: they get energy from the sun. So why do they trap and digest insects? The answer is in the soil. Most plants take in nutrients from the soil: nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, and potassium are particularly important.
 
 
Most plants can't survive in wet, acidic soil because it lacks adequate nutrients. But Venus flytraps aren't "most plants"! They have adapted to living in this poor soil, obtaining most of the nutrients they need from the insects and other small wildlife they capture.