of carnivorous plants occur in these habitats. Carnivorous plants of several 

 types also inhabit ponds and swamps. Conecuh National Forest is known to 

 harbor 23 species: 4 sundews, 4 butterworts, 1 0 bladderworts, and 5 pitcher 

 plants. The only one of the general types of carnivorous plant not present in 

 the forest is the Venus flytrap, called the most wonderful plant in the world 

 because the two halves of its leaves can quickly snap closed on any insect 

 that may enter. Its native range is on the Coastal Plain of the Carolinas. 



The carnivorous plant species in Conecuh National Forest fall into four 

 rather distinct groups with different types of trapping structures and adap- 

 tations. We will attempt to briefly introduce each general type and mention 

 some of the adaptations for trapping prey. 



Sundews 



The sundews are some of the most familiar carnivorous plants because 

 there are many species and they occur in most parts of the world. Four 

 species occur in Conecuh National Forest. Mucus-covered hairs that pro- 

 trude from the leaves of sundews function to trap and digest insects. The 

 shining globs of mucus at the ends of the leaf hairs glisten like droplets of 

 water when the sun strikes the plant, hence the name sundew. Most species 

 develop reddish hues in the leaves when growing in open sunlight. Groups 

 of the plants may be relatively conspicuous, even though individual plants 

 are not large. 



How or if sundews actually attract prey is not known. The leaves do not 

 produce sugary nectar. However, the shining sticky droplets may be attrac- 

 tive because they resemble nectar. Some of the insects captured have merely 

 bumped into the sundew leaves as they flew or crawled about. After the prey 

 becomes entangled in the mucus, the hairs of many species bend toward the 

 surface of the leaf In some, groups of hairs may fold over the trapped prey, 

 enclosing it in what could be thought of as a temporary plant stomach. The 

 hairs produce digestive juices and absorb nutrients from the prey. Leaves of 

 sundews live for only a few weeks and are replaced by new ones as growth 

 occurs. 



Most of the animals that become prey of sundews are small. Ants and 

 small flies are often captured in great numbers. Anything that cannot pull 

 away from the sticky entangling material may occasionally be ensnared. 

 The larger sundew species in our area occasionally trap dragonflies and 

 butterflies, almost always because their wings have come in contact with 

 several leaves. 



Butterworts 



Butterworts are less well known to the public than are the sundews and 

 Venus flytrap. Four species inhabit Conecuh National Forest. The some- 

 what succulent leaves of butterworts are flattened, often inrolled at the edges, 

 and are positioned in a horizontal, circular cluster. The upper leaf surface is 

 covered with numerous tiny sticky hairs. The hairs are much smaller than 



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