Dionaea muscipula

Biological Overview

Habitat
Sandlands and bogs in the Carolinas. Requiring wet soil and lots of sunlight.

Diet
The carnivorous producers rely on spiders, flies, grasshoppers, beetles, and use photosynthesis to get sufficient nutrients.

Role in Ecosystem
Venus Fly Traps are a great help in maintaining the populations of many insects and act as both a predator and producer in an ecosystem.

Behavior
Venus Fly Traps attract insects with a sweet scent from their mouths. Their trigger hairs help them shut in insects which they digest in 5-12 days.

Human Impact

The main threats to Venus Fly Traps is habitat loss. Forest fires and deforestation cause damage to the Venus Fly Traps’ habitats. Rapid urbanization in the Carolina’s replaces their ecosystems with homes and buildings. Humans can also cause false alarms to Venus Fly Traps by touching their traps and trigger hair, making them waste energy. They even tend to do illegal selling and capturing of Venus Fly Traps, which decreases the population.

Creative Exploration

You are a scientist going through the forests of the Carolinas. Your goal is to lay your hands and eyes on the Venus Fly Traps. You don’t hear anything but the pine needles crunching beneath your feet, you won’t be able to rely on your nose since the aroma they set forth is too faint for your sense of smell. You peel your eyes looking for their distinct jaws, looking in wet areas. Finally you see these carnivorous plants with roots seeping into the earth. You glance at its trigger hairs, and one is even digesting a fly. You wonder, what would it be like to be a Venus Fly Trap.

Joseph Fernandez, Justin L.

Book 8