The headline “Killer Petunias and Murderous Potatoes Revealed” caught my attention this morning.
Carion-scented Dracunculus
I’m a sucker for stories about plants that eat animals. Heck, I’m a sucker for raising plants that eat animals — like my Sun Dew that is both beautiful and attracts and digests my kitchen fruit fly populations. I’ve even added a small Cobra Lily to help the Sun Dew in its pest-munching endeavors. So, today’s headline suggesting fragrant petunias and delicious potatoes might be meat eaters made me look.
Sure, I’d already heard about giant pitcher plants eating rodents. And, I’ve seen the flies pile up in the base of my summer water feature Sarracenias. And, there’s no keeping the carrion-loving insects from the stink of my beautiful Dracunculus when its in its full, odoriferous glory. But, although I have noticed the stickiness of a petunia’s petal, I have yet to see it devouring a bee. And, I have to wonder, if a potato eats meat, what does that mean to the vegetarian who eats the potato later?
Tags: cobra lily, dracunculus, omnivore, pest, petunia, potato, sarracenia, sun dew
