The Venus flytrap Dionaea muscipula is a carnivorous plant native to subtropical wetlands on the East Coast of the United States in North Carolina and South Carolina. It catches its preyââ¬âchiefly insects and arachnidsââ¬âwith a trapping structure formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant`s leaves, which is triggered by tiny hairs called `trigger hairs` or `sensitive hairs` on their inner surfaces.
When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap prepares to close, snapping shut only if another contact occurs within approximately twenty seconds of the first strike. Triggers may occur with a tenth of a second of contact. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against wasting energy by trapping objects with no nutritional value, and the plant will only begin digestion after five more stimuli to ensure it has caught a live bug worthy of consumption.
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