Guy Edwardes/2020VISION
When you think of carnivorous plants you may think of exotic species such as the venus fly trap of subtropical America, and the pitcher plants of southeast Asia. But would you expect to find such weird and wonderful plants in Lancashire?
Well look no further than some of our region’s peatlands and you might just be lucky enough to find a tiny, jewel bright, plant with a gruesome eating habit – the sundew.
Three flies caught on a round-leaved sundew - Credit: A.J.Critch Wildlife
Sundews are one of 13 species of carnivorous plants that are native to the UK and have evolved to get their nutrition from passing insects rather than the soil, like many other plants do. Peatlands are naturally acidic and low in nutrients, so the sundews have had to adapt to survive.
There are actually three species of sundews found in our area; round-leaved sundew, oblong-leaved sundew and great sundew, the main difference being the size and shape of their leaves, but they all catch their prey in the same way.
Sundew leaves are crowned by a series of tendrils, each tipped with what looks like a glistening droplet of dew (hence their name). However, this ‘dew’ is actually a sticky substance that traps insects, holding them in place until the leaf curls up around them, where enzymes then break the insect down into a kind of insect soup which is then digested by the plant.
Round-leaved sundew flowers
Sundews also produce clusters of beautiful white flowers, many of which have the ability to self-pollinate, removing the need for insects to come along and pollinate them between different plants – also leaving more insects for them to devour! Once the flowers have been pollinated the plant will then set seed, which in turn drop to the ground and produce new plants.
Throughout history sundews have cemented their place in folklore – unsurprising really when you think what glorious oddities they are! It was once believed that if you put a sundew unnoticed into someone’s clothing it would act as a love potion. Alternatively, it was thought that mixing the juice of a sundew with milk would remove freckles or sunburn, or even provide a cure for old age.
Greater sundew Drosera anglica, close-up, Flow Country, Scotland, June - Mark Hamblin/2020VISION
Round-leaved sundew - Credit: A.J.Critch Wildlife
Sundews are just one of the truly amazing species that we find on our peatlands. Often overlooked as waste or desolate land, peatlands are in fact wet and boggy superhero habitats. They are a vital biodiversity booster being home to lots of species that you simply don’t find anywhere else. Heathers can turn peatlands purple in high summer, whilst cotton grasses carpet our peatlands with their fluffy white seed heads in late spring, and a wealth of invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians and mammals call them home.
The lovely sundew is also the symbol of the Lancashire Peat Partnership, who thanks to funding from the Carnivorous Plant Society, have been growing sundews at The Greenhouse Project, to reintroduce back onto our peatlands. You can read more about this work at the link below:
Sundew growing at the Greenhouse Project - Kirsty Tyler
