The Grass Triggerplant (Stylidium graminifolium) is flowering now. Gently touch the “trigger” and watch it react. This helps the plant get its pollen onto insects that land on the flower. But does it have other uses? The sticky area under the flowers can trap and digest prey.
Another plant just beginning to produce tiny flowers is the Tall Sundew (Drosera auriculata). Look carefully near the edge of a path and you may spot one. Close up, it looks like something from another world. The hair-like tentacles lure insects, then trap them on the sticky droplets. The tentacles bend in to form a trap and the plant secretes digestive enzymes to absorb the nutrients.
Photos: Ian Kitchen