T HE V ENUS F LY T RAP

S CIENTIFIC N AME  Dionaea muscipula  Kingdom plantae

H OW IT WORKS  Jaws move very fast to trap the bug that lands on a sweet pad.  The leaves of the venus fly trap have sensors that detect motion inside its mouth.  Once one sensor is moved, the trap gets poised to snap shut.  Once its moved again for the second time, it snaps shut.  By closing on the second hit, it keeps the venus fly trap from closing on wind, water, or a still object such as a leaf.

T HE V ENUS F LY T RAP  Native to the bogs and swap lands of North and South Carolina.

V ENUS F LY T RAP  Insects are lured by the sweet scent of nectar in the plant.  Inside the trap there are tiny trigger hairs, three on each side.  If only one hair is touched, the trap will remain open, but if more than one hair is touched, the trap will close.

V ENUS F LY T RAP C ONTINUED  If the insect does not move around, the fly trap will release the prey. If the insect does move, the fly trap will begin digestion.  The fly trap absorbs the nutrients from the insect, but the exoskeleton remains.  The exoskeleton remains possibly prompting another insect to fly into the venus fly trap.

V ENUS F LY T RAP  The venus fly trap is bright red in the sun light, and green in the shade.  The venus fly trap needs a lot of light for better health.

I MPORTANCE OF THE V ENUS F LY T RAP  Some say that venus fly trap extract can help reverse the effects of skin and other cancers.  The venus fly trap extract can substitute for radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

B IODIVERSITY  Biodiversity is important because the more diverse an area is, the healthier it is.  The more diversity of life, the greater the opportunity of medical discoveries, economic development, and adaptive responses.

H OW TO S AVE V ENUS F LY T RAPS  Venus fly traps live in swamps, and swamps are being drained and taken over by humans. Humans should save swamps in order to save venus fly traps.  Another way to save venus fly traps is to not buy them from florists who get venus fly traps from the wild. It is better to leave the wild ones alone and cultivate venus fly traps in green houses or gardens.

V ENUS F LY T RAP

W ORKS C ITED America, Botanical Society of. The Mysterious Venus Fly Trap. 15 November January King, Emily Brown. Information on the Venus Fly Trap. 4 January January Matt. Fly Trap Care. 5 March January My Carnivore January Shah, Anup. Global Issues. 16 January January 2011.