23. Don’t Bite The Plant that Eats you… 1


Damselfly & SundewNature works in mysterious ways.

Not so long ago, I assumed there were just two options:
1. Eaten
or
2. Being eaten

Predator or prey…that’s the question.

Recently I found out that it can be mutual as well.
You eat, while being eaten: fair cross.
All right, I might exaggerate a bit, but this roughly describes the relationship between insect and sundew.

This is how it works:

Sundew grows on poor soil and for nutrition she’s depended on other sources, being…insects.
Therefore she uses two different kind of glands.
One gland secretes a deliciously smelling mucilage, to lure them poor insects.
As soon as the insect has landed, the sundew shows her less charming side and gland two starts fulfilling her task.
This gland doesn’t seduce, but comes straight to the point and she slowly but surely absorbs the creature.
And this is the true nature of sundew: a vicious little plant, with nasty sticky tentacles, disguised as lovely glittering dew drops in the early morning sun.

One would expect the insect to fight against this awful ending.
Scream and fight to -at least- die a honourable death.
In stead, she accepts her fate rather meekly.
In fact, she even eats her enemy while she’s being eaten…

If you ask me, this kind of behaviour just screams for a Darwin Award, but – being a sentimental fool- I just can’t ignore these two enormous brown (or blue or even red) eyes….
So if the point of no return hasn’t been reached yet, I quickly liberate the unfortunate buggers.

It’s a pity for the photos…and of course for all the angry photo-friends that never want to come with me again 😉

Drosera rotundifolia,common sundew,round-leaved sundew,vleesetende plant,carnivorous plant,insect,damselfly

Common Sundew: an innocent looking little plant….

 

Drosera rotundifolia,common sundew,round-leaved sundew,vleesetende plant,carnivorous plant,insect,damselfly

As a matter of fact: all sundew species have these property.

Drosera rotundifolia,common sundew,round-leaved sundew,vleesetende plant,carnivorous plant,insect,damselfly

Drosera rotundifolia,common sundew,round-leaved sundew,vleesetende plant,carnivorous plant,insect,damselfly

Drosera rotundifolia,common sundew,round-leaved sundew,vleesetende plant,carnivorous plant,insect,damselfly

Drosera rotundifolia,common sundew,round-leaved sundew,vleesetende plant,carnivorous plant,insect,damselfly

Drosera rotundifolia,common sundew,round-leaved sundew,vleesetende plant,carnivorous plant,insect,damselfly

Drosera rotundifolia,common sundew,round-leaved sundew,vleesetende plant,carnivorous plant,insect,damselfly

Drosera rotundifolia,common sundew,round-leaved sundew,vleesetende plant,carnivorous plant,insect,damselfly

Drosera rotundifolia,common sundew,round-leaved sundew,vleesetende plant,carnivorous plant,insect,damselfly

Drosera rotundifolia,common sundew,round-leaved sundew,vleesetende plant,carnivorous plant,insect,damselfly


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