Natural splendour, real musics, wines, wordpower
This post’s images are cropped versions of the very same photos that appeared in the immediately preceding post.
The closer the view, the more readily-evident is the fact that these plants are predators.
Above and below, you have a good view of their “dew” (which is not dew) and of some of the lured victims in the “killing field”, in various stages of being “dissolved”/ “absorbed”/ devoured.
Comments closed
This post’s Drosera species really “look the part” – as meat-eaters, who kill.
Plants in general – not just sundews and other carnivorous plants – are a deal less “peaceful” than many humans imagine.
Plants’ “race” for light, space, water and nutrients is not an “everybody wins something” event,
Comments closed
Even within a single vicinity, different Drosera species can be remarkably different from each other – in size, colour, and general appearance.
However, this description fits all “sundews”:
Sundews are “flypaper” plants that trap prey in sticky hairs on their leaves. They make up one of the largest groups of carnivorous plants. Long tentacles protrude from their leaves, each with a sticky gland at the tip. These droplets look like dew glistening in the sun, thus their name. The glands produce nectar to attract prey, powerful adhesive to trap it, and enzymes to digest it. Once an insect becomes stuck, nearby tentacles coil around the insect and smother it.
Comments closed
Q: what does this post, the previous post, and the next several posts in this series all have in common?
A: all of their “stars” eat meat. If you look closely at the featured image, you should be able to see some “victims” being devoured, slowly.
The overwhelming majority of this forest’s carnivorous individuals have neither fur nor feathers.
If all appropriately qualified individuals were to join “The Deep Creek Terrestrial Carnivores Club”, its insect, amphibian and reptile members would dominate it.
Although a relatively small minority within the club, its carnivorous plants would outnumber the remainder of its (primarily, mammalian + avian) fauna membership.
You are looking at one of the Drosera – a genus whose members are commonly known as “sundews”.
Comments closed
This post’s photos were all taken on 30 October 2023, when the sun was high in an unclouded West Australian sky.
Each picture looks more-or-less straight down at the harshly-lit ground in so-called “northern Jarrah forest”, circa 60 kilometres southeast of Perth.
Much of this forest/woodland (this bit included) is in reality definitely-not-virgin, mixed forest/woodland, typically co-dominated by jarrah and marri trees, or by wandoo.
Even within a small, walkable area – as is the case here – the apparent “richness” or “poverty” of the forest floor is hugely variable, depending on precisely where one is standing and on what is going on at the particular time, within any particular year.
”Exactly the same place” can appear “utterly unlike itself”, from one time to another.
Comments closed
The old-growth forest’s floor in Deep Creek Conservation Park is almost certainly South Australia’s finest winter location for fungi-fanciers.
It is also spectacularly well-endowed with successful predators who lack legs and teeth.
They can photosynthesise…
Comments closed
…is an arresting, humorous/sinister/beautiful composition by Carla Bley. (for more, see footnote at bottom of this post)
Probably, Carla was inspired by some fellow Americans – Venus Flytraps.
Possibly, she had in mind the spectacular pitcher plants that lurk in Asian jungles.
However, the hottest spot for carnivorous plants is somewhere Carla has never ventured – Western Australia’s southwest corner, where more than 25% of “our” planet’s flowering carnivore species live, exclusively.
Many have exquisitely delicate flowers and look like they wouldn’t hurt a fly.
Comments closed
