Feeding Habits

• The sundew catches small insects on sticky hairs that cover each leaf. Once the insect is caught, the leaf gradually curls over it. The leaves' glands produce digestive enzymes that enable the plant to convert insects into food.
  
  

Appearance and Habitat

• The common name "sundew" is probably derived from the fact that the glandular hairs on uncurled leaves shine in the sun like dew drops. The plants favor wet, marshy places.
  
  

Flowers

• Many Drosera have attractive flowers that lure insects. Drosera filiformis, for example, which is native to the eastern United States, produces pink flowers from June through September. According to famed naturalist Charles Darwin, who studied Drosera, plants that were fed insects were more vigorous and produced more flowers than those that did not consume prey.