Charles Darwin

Insectivorous Plants Charles Darwin

Book Excerpt: ner than other insects. The largest kind which I haveseen caught was a small butterfly (Caenonympha pamphilus); but the Rev. H. M. Wilkinson informs me that he found a large living dragon-fly withits body firmly held by two leaves. As this plant is extremely commonin some districts, the number of insects thus annually slaughtered mustbe prodigious. Many plants cause the death of insects, for instance thesticky buds of the horse-chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), withoutthereby receiving, as far as we can perceive, any advantage; but it wassoon evident that Drosera was [page 3] excellently adapted for thespecial purpose of catching insects, so that the subject seemed wellworthy of investigation. The results have proved highly remarkable; the more important onesbeing--firstly, the extraordinaryFIG. 1.* (Drosera rotundifolia.) Leaf viewed from above; enlarged fourtimes.sensitiveness of the glands to slight pressure and to minute doses ofcertain nitrogenous fluids, as shown by the movementsRead More