Have Venus fly trap in your garden!
Venus flytrap is a plant, Dionaea muscipula, with hinged leaves that close on and digest insects etc [based on Latin Venus, goddess of love].
The Venus flytrap is perhaps one of the best-known and most awesome plants. Its leaves are modified in an extraordinary way in order to feed on insects, although it does still obtain energy from the sun. The plant is an innocuous looking rosette, but the leaf blades terminate in distinctive bivalve traps with sharply toothed edges. The outside of the traps is generally green whilst the insides have red pigment that varies in shade depending on the age of the trap; on the edge of each lobe there are 14-20 teeth that point radially from the trap. The flower stalk is devoid of leaves and can reach up to 30 cm tall. In season, small white flowers are born with faint green veins; the seed capsules are flat and contain a single, shiny black seed.
This small carnivorous plant is mostly found in North Carolina, in southeastern United States. It can grow in humid weather, and can withstand a little frost. This plant can live in poor soils also, as it supplements its diet from minerals obtained from insects. Now a days it is cultivated in homes also. At home this plant needs water and some insects to be fed with, inorder to keep it healthy.
Flytraps do not need fertilizer, the insects which they consume provide them with all nutrients they need. They can be grown in very bright light, but not in direct hot sun. A warm humid weather is beneficial to grow these plants. Lots of water is required to keep the plant healthy. If the traps are red in the middle, then they are healthy. They like to grow in sphagnum moss or acidic soil.
As the name suggests these plants trap flies for their food. These insectivorous plants lure their prey using a sweet smelling nectar. When an insect lands on the head of the fly trap, they seek the source of the nectar, and if the plant is lucky, it will touch one of the many trigger hairs located within the jaws of the trap. Once triggered, the trap snaps closed, trapping the victim. The plant then secretes an enzyme which essentially 'dissolves' the insect, turning it into a digestible dinner. After a few days, the fly trap will re-open, to await it's next victim.
Venus Flytraps can even take the place of a pet, if you can’t have pets at home. They have become the most favorite decorative plants at home.
