Uploaded April 2019 | Updated September 2026, 36 minutes ago
Everywhere there is a little flag here, something is planted. These are parrot pitcher plants. I'm going to show you something about this. There's a really interesting adaptation on this plant about how it gets the insect. So this thing (one leaf) is sitting down here. The insect can walk along here. This fin is modified, this vertical part of the leaf is like a drift fence. The little ant or whatever, gets on that and he turns and he walks, maybe he walks this way and he gets away. But if he turns right and he walks on the edge of that fence, then look in that hole and the end of it. See that? Hole in the back, right there (points). This fence steers the insect in there. He goes through the little hole. It's just like a fish trap. It's hard to find his way out.
But there's one more thing. It's more translucent on this end, than it is on this end. Insect goes to the light. So goes this way and bumps against the wall until he dies and then the plant eats him. It's a pretty neat adaptation. There's no way water can get into this. It uses a mechanism to trap the insect.
Everywhere there is a little flag here, something is planted. These are parrot pitcher plants. I'm going to show you something about this. There's a really interesting adaptation on this plant about how it gets the insect. So this thing (one leaf) is sitting down here. The insect can walk along here. This fin is modified, this vertical part of the leaf is like a drift fence. The little ant or whatever, gets on that and he turns and he walks, maybe he walks this way and he gets away. But if he turns right and he walks on the edge of that fence, then look in that hole and the end of it. See that? Hole in the back, right there (points). This fence steers the insect in there. He goes through the little hole. It's just like a fish trap. It's hard to find his way out.
But there's one more thing. It's more translucent on this end, than it is on this end. Insect goes to the light. So goes this way and bumps against the wall until he dies and then the plant eats him. It's a pretty neat adaptation. There's no way water can get into this. It uses a mechanism to trap the insect.
