The Venus flytrap is a flowering plant best known for its carnivorous eating habits. The “trap” is made of two hinged lobes at the end of each leaf. On the inner surfaces of the lobes are hair-like projections called trichomes that cause the lobes to snap shut when prey comes in contact with them. Ants, beetles, grasshoppers, flying insects, and spiders are all victims of the flytrap. If you encounter a Venus flytrap, one thing you should never do is touch it. It's not because of what it will do to you, but because of what you could do to it. Triggering the trap wastes the plant’s limited energy. Closing requires significant effort, and if it snaps shut without capturing actual prey, the plant starves. Repeatedly doing this will cause the leaf to die. If the trap closes on something larger than itself — like a finger — it can’t seal properly, and that can lead to bacteria that causes the leaf to rot. So, feel free to admire the Venus flytrap clamping down on its prey, but don't try to mess with it.
