During our immersive experience through Browns Bog, I was particularly drawn to the pitcher plant, also known as Nepenthes. These pitcher plants were somehow able to maintain their beautiful, yet subdued sunset coat compared to their neighboring vegetation, which were either dormant or dead. Pitcher plants resemble a nutshell skeleton in the winter and latex skin in the summer. Having never heard of this species, I was fascinated by how these plants can modify their physiology to trap their prey, like ants, termites, and other insects. For instance, the plant will adjust the slipperiness of its pitcher’s surface to trap its prey. Once the prey has entered the pitcher, the plant’s digestive enzymes and acidic liquid, similar to humans, will start to break down the organism into a protein. I was struck to hear that plants share similar biological processes as humans. It has sparked a new interest and now I want to explore more into the field of botany.
