Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Dionaea muscipula

Happy Boxing Day, everyone! Just needed something completely different from snow and old barns. Dug deep into my archives and came up with this macro of a leaf tip of a Venus Flytrap plant. A splash of colour feels good today - a sunny day, but with a temperature of -18C (-0.4°F) with a windchill of -24C (-11.2°F). This macro shot shows the trap slightly open. I'm not sure why some traps are green and others more yellow, orange or red, but I've had all these colours on one single plant. Perhaps they change colour with age? This leaf tip was somewhere around half to three-quarters of an inch long. "The Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap closes if a different hair is contacted within twenty seconds of the first strike. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against a waste of energy in trapping objects with no nutritional value." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap David Attenborough looks at how this well known carnivorous plant captures its prey. This short video is from the BBC. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo

I came across this photo last night, when I was trying to find a photo that had some bright colour in it. I cropped it, but found the darkish grey-blue background so unpleasant. Normally, I don't change backgrounds, and with the couple of photos that I have done so, I always say what I have done. Took me forever to remember how to do it, too. Anyway, this image shows two different leaf-tip colourings that were on a Venus Flytrap plant, taken on 29 July 2014. The tips were maybe half to three-quarters of an inch. "The Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap closes if a different hair is contacted within twenty seconds of the first strike. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against a waste of energy in trapping objects with no nutritional value." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap David Attenborough looks at how this well known carnivorous plant captures its prey. This short video is from the BBC. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo Yesterday was sunny with blue sky, which was so welcome after the very damaging summer snowstorm that hit Calgary hard the previous two days. I haven't driven anywhere since before the storm, so still haven't seen "the big picture". Just on my street yesterday, city crews were out on foot, marking the trees that needed branches removed. Now the edge of the street is lined with endless piles of cut branches, waiting for the trucks and equipment to come and deal with them. And that's just a tiny section of my street - makes you realize how many thousands of trees were damaged across the whole city. Not sure what happened to the sun today, as the sky is very overcast. It's supposed to return tomorrow, though. Later: it rained this afternoon, which helped get rid of more of the snow, but I suspect that down in our parks and natural areas there will be still be snow and slush. The weekend is looking good so far : )

This is a macro shot of a leaf tip belonging to a Venus Flytrap plant. In this photo, the trap is slightly open. I'll add a previously posted photo of an open trap, and of a white flower, in a comment box below. I'm not sure why some traps are green and others more yellow, orange or red, but I've had all these colours on one single plant. Perhaps they change colour with age? This leaf tip was somewhere around half to three-quarters of an inch long. Though I tend to think of Venus Flytrap as being a tropical plant, it's not. "The Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap closes if a different hair is contacted within twenty seconds of the first strike. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against a waste of energy in trapping objects with no nutritional value." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap David Attenborough looks at how this well known carnivorous plant captures its prey. This short video is from the BBC. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo

Well, my morning just started off with a Blue Screen of Death on my computer! Thankfully, it seems to have worked OK after turning off my computer and then turning it back on. I think my heart is still beating fast! I wonder if it had anything to do with getting four comments in a row on one of my photos last night, each one was just a string of jumbled letters. I did delete them immediately and also blocked the person. This is a macro shot of a leaf tip belonging to a Venus Flytrap plant. Sometimes, the trap closes and stays closed for no obvious reason, as in this case. I'll add a previously posted photo of an open trap, and of a white flower, in a comment box below. "The Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap closes if a different hair is contacted within twenty seconds of the first strike. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against a waste of energy in trapping objects with no nutritional value." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap David Attenborough looks at how this well known carnivorous plant captures its prey. This short video is from the BBC. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo This is a long weekend here in Canada - Monday, 4 August 2014 is Heritage Day. Have a good, safe holiday, everyone!

I'm still kicking myself that I didn't try and get a better photo than this, of a very small, delicate flower belonging to the carnivorous Venus Flytrap. This was a plant that I bought recently, one of 3 or 4 that I had bought over the last few years. This was the first time that a flower had grown and it was fascinating to see, growing on a very long, thin stem. I didn't get round to taking more photos and two days ago, I noticed that the flower had died. Previously posted photo of an amazing leaf tip in comment box below. David Attenborough looks at how this well known carnivorous plant captures its prey. This short video is from the BBC. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo "The flower has to be high above the leaves so insects pollinating the flowers do not get trapped in the leaves. Each flower produces very tiny seeds. They are about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. If you pinch the flowers off, the leaves will grow more vigorously since growing flowers takes a lot of energy from the plant." From botany.org. botany.org/bsa/misc/carn.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_flytrap

Macro photo of the small leaf tip of a Venus Flytrap plant, photographed in my kitchen on November 1st. "The Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap closes if a different hair is contacted within twenty seconds of the first strike. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against a waste of energy in trapping objects with no nutritional value." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap David Attenborough looks at how this well known carnivorous plant captures its prey. This short video is from the BBC. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo

A couple of the leaves of my Venus Flytrap plant have died, but I thought this leaf tip (about half an inch long) was still a fascinating shape, even if dark brown and not bright green. Just imagine being an insect and having those spikes snap shut around you, so that you could be devoured by the plant : ) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap

This is such a fascinating, carnivorous plant! Much smaller than my photo shows, of course, as this is a macro shot (taken in my kitchen, by the way!). "The Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap closes if a different hair is contacted within twenty seconds of the first strike. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against a waste of energy in trapping objects with no nutritional value." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap David Attenborough looks at how this well known carnivorous plant captures its prey. This short video is from the BBC. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo

This leaf tip was maybe three quarter's of an inch across when open, as in my image. "The Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap closes if a different hair is contacted within twenty seconds of the first strike. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against a waste of energy in trapping objects with no nutritional value." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap David Attenborough looks at how this well known carnivorous plant captures its prey. This short video is from the BBC. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo I felt very honoured to be asked if I would give permission to have this image (and two others) displayed on the Harvard University's website, ARKive (May 2011). "A vast treasury of wildlife images has been steadily accumulating over the past century, yet no one has known its full extent - or indeed its gaps - and no one has had a comprehensive way of gaining access to it. ARKive will put that right, and it will be an invaluable tool for all concerned with the well-being of the natural world." Sir David AttenboroughWildscreen Patron www.arkive.org/venus-flytrap/dionaea-muscipula/image-G112... www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/potd/2014/02/dionaea-muscipula.php

Each of the Venus Flytrap leaftips seemed to be a different colour, some green with a faint touch of pink and red, and some red with stronger rainbow stripes. Hard to imagine something that can look so delicate and pretty being able to close and crush an insect for its next meal. This leaf tip was maybe three quarter's of an inch across, when open, and the same in length "The Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap closes if a different hair is contacted within twenty seconds of the first strike. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against a waste of energy in trapping objects with no nutritional value." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap David Attenborough looks at how this well known carnivorous plant captures its prey. This short video is from the BBC. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo