Book 17, Question 84
How Do Pitcher Plants Trap Insects?
Pitcher plants trap insects in cup-shaped leaves with a slippery rim! Inside the cup is a pool of liquid that digests the insects. It is how the plant gets food in poor soil.
More fun facts
- A pitcher plant's trap is a deep cavity filled with liquid.
- Its inside walls are coated and slippery.
- Insects slip in and can't climb out.
- One pitcher plant uses falling rain to knock insects into its trap.
- Scientists even found a pitcher plant whose traps grow underground.
Sources: Scientific American, National Geographic, Science News Explores
Questions kids ask
Why can't insects climb out of a pitcher plant?
Its inside walls are coated and slippery, so insects slip into the liquid and can't climb back out.