Re: Dionaea Prey Behavior[was: Sarracenia ~~]
Robert Beer (bbeer@u.washington.edu)
Sat, 24 Feb 1996 10:41:10 -0800 (PST)
One thing I have noticed with Dionaea in the Northwest is that its most
common prey in the early part of the year is nothing that is attracted to
nectar; it's a small pale brown running spider. (Somewhere I read that
the PNW has more spider species than any other part of the country; I
guess our moist weather suits them well. There are certainly here in
numbers of individuals!) These spiders evidently find the open traps of
Dionaea a handy place to lie in ambush. Perhaps they also "know" that a
place with nectar is a good prospect for other insects? Anyway, if I
check the contents of my Dionaea traps in early summer it will be over
50% spiders. Daddy-longlegs also are fairly common...sort of a sad sight
to me because I have always liked them and tend to empathize with their
rather uncomfortable position. Really, I always have to wonder how an
insect perceives its world and situation (grab the white coats, Bob's
going off the deep end!), and can't help but feel sorry for a moth jammed
down a S. flava pitcher. Must be damn uncomfortable. I suppose if I
could choose a carnivorous plant in which to end my insect existence, it
would be Nepenthes because there are obviously some good drugs in there. :)