Crazy Carnivorous

Plants

(4^th Grade)

A Few fun facts:

*These interesting wild plants trap and digest living creatures to get nourishment.

*There are over 600 different species of carnivorous plants.

*They are just like other plants except they can attract insects, capture them, kill them, digest them, and absorb the nutrients.

*Flies, moths, ants, butterflies, and spiders are common pray. One large species has been known to catch frogs, mice, and birds.

Your Challenge:

Mosquitoes around the world are going extinct. You have been hired as a scientist to investigate carnivorous plants. Your job is to find out if they are the cause for so many mosquito deaths. Use the websites listed below to find information that will help you answer the questions.

Helpful Websites:

http://www.steveconrad.co.uk/bog/index.html

http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html

http://botany.org/newsite/publications/carnivorousPlants/carnivorousPlants.php

Use these words to search the web and find more information:

*Carnivorous Plants *Plants

*Venus Fly Traps *Nepenthes Plant

*Bug Eating Plants *Pitcher Plant

Get a piece of paper and answer these questions to complete your challenge:

1) What makes carnivorous plants different from other plants?

2) How many different spices of carnivorous plants are there?

3) Name four insects that are commonly pray for a carnivorous plant.

4) Name two ways that carnivorous plants can attract bugs.

5) What kind of soul do these plants like?

6) What is the most famous kind of carnivorous plant?

Developed by Elizabeth King, Fall 2004, EDEL 155, ebking@uvm.edu