Day 296: The latest addition to my collection of insectivores is a commercially-grown Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes sp.). This particular species is not outdoors-hardy and therefore hangs above my kitchen sink where it will receive its requirements for light and humidity. Native to the islands of the South Pacific, these plants' "pitchers" are in fact the termini of highly specialized leaves. Each leaf produces an extension of its midrib (referred to as a tendril), at the tip of which the characteristic trap develops. The pitchers contain a syrupy fluid comprised of biopolymers and enzymes which allows the plants to drown and digest insects and other small prey. Some of the larger Nepenthes species are capable of consuming lizards, rats and other prey of similar size. Don't worry, I'm not sticking my finger in there!
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