This children’s article, What are carnivorous plants? A kids’ guide to bug-eating greenery, has been written for native English speakers and learners of English as a second or foreign language. It can help children build vocabulary, learn about amazing plants, and discover how they survive in tricky environments. Written by Mark Pulley, a teacher and writer who creates fun and informative news articles for English learners.
What makes a plant carnivorous?
Most plants get food by making energy from sunlight through a process called photosynthesis, but carnivorous plants live in places where the soil is poor and does not give them enough nutrients. To survive, they’ve developed a very strange trick: they catch and eat insects and sometimes even small animals!
These plants are not “hungry” all the time like animals are, but they use clever traps, sticky leaves, or pools of liquid to capture their prey. After catching something, they slowly break it down to take in the nutrients they need to grow.
Venus flytraps: the most famous bug catchers
The Venus flytrap is probably the best-known carnivorous plant. It has green leaves shaped like open jaws, with tiny hairs inside. If an insect touches one hair, nothing happens. But if it touches two hairs within 20 seconds, snap! The trap closes. This helps the plant avoid wasting energy on things like raindrops or blowing leaves.
Once the trap shuts, the plant releases juices that digest the insect, almost like a stomach. This process takes about ten days. After that, the trap opens again, and the hard parts of the insect, like its shell, are blown away by the wind or washed away by rain.
Other bug-eating plants
Venus flytraps are not alone. The sundew plant has long leaves covered in sticky drops that shine like morning dew. When an insect lands on them, it gets stuck, and the plant slowly curls around it to eat.
Another group of carnivorous plants are called pitcher plants. Their leaves form deep tubes, or “pitchers,” that look like buckets of water. They often give off sweet smells that attract insects. When a bug crawls inside, it slips on the smooth sides and falls into the liquid at the bottom. The insect then drowns, and the plant digests it for food.
Carnivorous plants may sound scary, but don’t worry, they only eat bugs and tiny animals! They are an amazing example of how life can adapt to survive in the strangest ways.
Article vocabulary list
- Carnivorous: Eating animals or insects.
- Nutrients: The good stuff in food or soil that living things need to grow.
- Photosynthesis: The way plants make food from sunlight, air, and water.
- Prey: An animal or insect that is hunted or caught for food.
- Trap: A device or method used to catch something.
- Digest: To break down food so the body (or plant) can use it.
- Shell: The hard outside part of some insects or animals.
- Pitcher plant: A carnivorous plant with leaves shaped like tubes filled with liquid to catch insects.
- Adapt: To change in order to survive or fit better in an environment.
Comprehension questions
Just click the plus (+) to see the answer
1. Why do carnivorous plants eat insects?
A) Because they don’t like sunlight
B) Because their soil doesn’t give them enough nutrients
C) Because they are always hungry
Answer: B) Because their soil doesn’t give them enough nutrients
2. What happens if an insect touches only one hair in a Venus flytrap?
A) The trap closes quickly
B) Nothing happens
C) The insect gets stuck in sticky liquid
Answer: B) Nothing happens
3. How long does it take for a Venus flytrap to finish eating a bug?
A) 1 day
B) 5 days
C) 10 days
Answer: C) About 10 days
4. What do sundew plants use to catch insects?
A) Sticky drops on their leaves
B) Sharp teeth-like traps
C) Sweet smells
Answer: A) Sticky drops on their leaves
5. What is special about pitcher plants?
A) They can swim in water
B) They trap insects in deep tubes filled with liquid
C) They close like a jaw
Answer: B) They trap insects in deep tubes filled with liquid
Mark is a writer and EFL teacher from England with eight years’ experience. He’s passionate about travel, sport (especially football), animals, nature, and history, and enjoys helping children explore the world through language and learning.
