for flies and wasps. What a brilliant plant!
Sundews are characterised by the glandular tentacles, topped with sticky secretions, that cover their laminae. The trapping and digestion mechanism usually employs two types of glands: stalked glands that secrete sweet mucilage to attract and ensnare insects and enzymes to digest them, and sessile glands that absorb the resulting nutrient soup (the latter glands are missing in some species, such as D. erythrorhiza). Small prey, mainly consisting of insects, are attracted by the sweet secretions of the peduncular glands. Upon touching these, the prey become entrapped by sticky mucilage which prevents their progress or escape. Eventually, the prey either succumb to death through exhaustion or through asphyxiation as the mucilage envelops them and clogs their spiracles. Death usually occurs within 15 minutes. The plant meanwhile secretes esterase, peroxidase, phosphatase and protease enzymes. These enzymes dissolve the insect and free the nutrients contained within it. This nutrient mixture is then absorbed through the leaf surfaces to be used by the rest of the plant.
Lovely biology/ bicohemistry/ zoology /microbiology whatever category this falls into lesson with breakfast! No seriously I was interested and enjoyed it and could almost visualise it. Is it bad to visualise an insects death? And over breakfast?
It is a stunning photograph, but really the description is more than I want to think about before breakfast. Telling myself that nutrient soup doesn't look like coffee.
Wonderful macro - love all those little details. Thanks for all the info - nature is amazing! And regarding my photo for today, I used 3 separate textures and applied them to various areas of the photo. Takes a bit of work but was happy with the final result. ;)
You really captured this in a stunning way. The bokeh of the background sparkles, while the prickliness, stickiness, and ominous feel of the plant come through. Fascinating read.
Wow, thanks for the science lesson. I love the photo on its own, too. The selective focus helps create a pleasing, abstract composition, with a nice balance of colors and textures.
Wow, interesting science lesson, and a beautiful shot!! Of course, all I read was "blah, blah, blah.....death by asphyxiation, blah, trapped, blah, eaten..."! I am glad the plant is getting so many nutrients so that it can become this gorgeous subject for your photos.....the bokeh in the background, and the water drops are amazing!