Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-06-06
FOt Inc Nef1
Fly-Catchers.

In and about Wilmington, North Carolina,
plants, commonly called fy-catchers. OF
these the DionGa MuScipuid, or Venus fly
trap is most noticeable, for its peculiar SEN
sitiveness and formation. The flower stalk
grows to height of only twelve inches, and
bears few white flowers but the leaf has
an expansion of surface at the end, fringed
with stiff hairs which constitute the trap.
When the sun shines these traps are open,
like half open book, and on the inside are
arranged these minute hairs or spines in a
triangle, so that a fly or other insect, cannot
the lightest touch causes them to close in
stantly. These spines are supposed to secrete
a solvent liquid which destroys in a short
time the soft parts of the insect, leaving the
skeleton to blow away.
About the year 1868 a description and
drawing of the Dioneoe was sent by an
English botanist to Linnaus, who considered
it marvellous curiositv and from time to
time others have brought it to notice. and
other plants have been observed till now
there seems to be a class of plants which de-
rive more or less nourishment from insects.
There are of these two species of butterwort,
with greasy looking leaves, which, on pres
sure, roll up, inclosing insects within. These
are mostly found South.
The Drosera, or Sundew, of which five
species are found at the South, is well-known,
and one species-the Rotundifola, or round
leaved Sundew-grows in Vermont. 1t is a
small plant growing in wet places, with red
dish hairs growing all over the leaves, and
on the inside and edges. These hairs are
always pointed with minute drop of a
sticky fluid. The leaves roll in at the sides
when foreign body is placed on them, but
rather slowly. Nature has provided for this
circumstance by covering the plant with a
juice, or secretion so sticky that an insect
once having alighted, cannot easily escape.
The whole plant glstens in the sunshine
like rubies
The Sarracenias, or pitcher plants, are
more commonly known, and distributed from
North to South. The purple pitcher is the
most common and has leaves shaped some
what like banana The lower end of the
leaf is smaller than the upper, and they grow
directly from the root in a cluster of half a
dozen. The upper end is open and covered
with sort of wing, which opens in sun
shine, and turns back like the lid of tea
pot. The inside of the mouth is covered
with row of stiff hairs, pointing down.
ward so if an insect gets inside it is trapped.
The leaves sometimes contain nearly tea
cupful of fluid.
The trumpet flowers are of the same class,
but have snowy yellow flowers, with broad,
umbrella-shaped stigma, or cap, or top with
small apertures beneath, into which insects
are drawn by the odor, and cannot return.
All the plants are very curious and in
structive, showing an adaptation of plants
to the surrounding of earth, air and sky.
These plants do not derive their whole sub
sistence from insects, as manyof them never
catch single fly; but there is no doubt that
the growth and vigor OF this class of plants
is promoted by the nitrogen derived from
animal food.
There is only one other plant which at
tracts and destroys insects by mechanical
action or drowning, known to us, and that is
the sympiOcarpuS, or shrub cabbage-a fetid,
wild plant with blossom shaped like a
large cookie shell.
1t is very curious that most poisonous
plants have flowers of dark purple color
or a dingy white, aud generally an offensive
odor, as though the Creator designed them
for something beside aifording pleasure to
human beings, while we have an aversion to
rank odors and dingy colors, which is not
the result of habit or education, A.. IS.