Botany
Venus Flytrap
Dionaea
Venus flytraps are the most well known carnivorous plants but the genus consists of just one species native to a small area of North Carolina in the USA.
This trap is a snap trap which can close on its prey within seconds. When an insect lands on the leaf and starts to crawl it touches one of 6 tiny trigger hairs, if the insect touches another hair
within 20 seconds the trap is sprung and the traps shape flips from concave to convex. The guard hairs prevent larger insects from escaping but smaller insects where a meal is not big enough can escape. The trap then seals its self and starts digesting the meal which can take up to 4 days. and then reopens.
As with sundews the trap can be used only 3 times.
The flowers are small and insignificant white, with a similar structure to sundews which they are closely related to.