The Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant native to North and South Carolina that has adapted to nutrient-poor bog and wet savannah environments by trapping insects with snap-shut leaves in order to gain nitrogen, going dormant in winter, and developing its trap to catch larger prey despite insects making up just 5% of its diet.

1. The Venus Flytrap

2. Description
• It is a carnivorous plant
• It catches prey using leaves
that snap shut
• Despite the name, just 5%
of its total diet is flying
insects!

3. Habitat
• Venus flytraps are found in nitrogen- or
phosphorus-poor environments.
• Environments include bogs and wet
savannahs.
• They are only native in North and South
Carolina.

4. Adaptations
• They have adapted to their nitrogen-poor
environments by catching insects to provide
the nitrogen.
• They go through winter dormant (asleep)!
• They developed their “snap-happy”
technique to catch larger insects to get more
nutrients.

5. The “jaws of death” (to an insect)
• Attracts insects using nectar
• Trigger hairs detect motion
• 2 trigger hairs touched =
SNAP! Venus flytrap is snap-
happy.
• Digestive juices dissolve the
insect.