Carnivorous Plants!
Posted at 12:54 pm February 21, 2006 by Cindy Spiva-Evans
After a week off to catch up on journal work (see ” A Day in the Classroom”), the San Diego Zoo’s Girls In Science students wandered back into the Zoo and met with Paul Maschka, senior gardener, and Christy Powell, plant propagator for the Zoo’s Horticulture Department.
We met up with Paul and Christy at the Bog Garden, which is located in the Monkey Trails and Forest Tales exhibit near the clouded leopards. Paul designed this garden, and we thoroughly enjoyed learning about the different plant species that are found here and their very special needs.
There are about 600 species of carnivorous plants (who knew?!) and the Zoo grows four different kinds””Venus fly traps, sundews, pitcher plants, and butterworts. We were fascinated by the different approaches to luring, trapping, and digesting prey. Christy opened up a pitcher plant leaf and we saw the remains of hundreds of bugs, stacked nearly 7 inches (17 centimeters) high! And boy, did they stink!
Many of these amazing plant species are endangered due to habitat loss, but you can find another small bog in a bright spot next to Bugtown–The Itty Bitty City in the Children’s Zoo! Visit either of the Zoo’s bog gardens for a look at some of nature’s most amazing plants! And no, we don’t feed them””they catch all of their own food!
Special thanks to Paul and Christy for meeting with us and teaching us about the ferocious ways of the Zoo’s carnivorous plants!
Cindy Spiva-Evans is an educator at the San Diego Zoo.
Girls In Science is a program for Roosevelt Middle School girls which creates science-based experiences with professional women at the San Diego Zoo. The program is funded through the generosity of the Wells Fargo Foundation.
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February 23rd, 2006 at 9:00 pm
i thougt this one was gross because when you looked inside there were bugs inside. some were still alive
~*briana*~
March 3rd, 2006 at 3:58 pm
i thought this one is so so cool but kinda nasty!!! i wish we can come back some day
March 3rd, 2006 at 4:05 pm
This event had a lot to learn about plants and how cool it is to evolve to what their body needs the survive
March 17th, 2006 at 3:31 pm
OMG! this was gross. in one of them there was a bee and some had bugs alive still.
April 21st, 2006 at 2:50 pm
What ever you do don’t put yor hand in that plants mouth!