Bladderwort: The Incredible Carnivorous Plant of North Carolina

This Little Guy is Fighting for Survival

In North Carolina, there are several carnivorous plants that are common to our area. There is the famous venus fly-trap, as well as sundews, and butterworts, as well as pitcher plants. The bladderwort is, to me, the most beautiful of the group. It is also about to join it's fellow species on the list of plants that are disappearing. Where one used to see them regularly, they are getting tougher to find.

Carnivorous plants are miracles of nature, and should be preserved at all costs, as with any living thing. They are found in sandy, wet soil primarily in coastal regions of North Carolina. What is truly fascinating about carnivorous plants is that to survive, they have evolved various mechanisms to attain the energy and nutrients they need. Because they live in soils that are not very nutrient rich, they must extract the nutrients from the insects they capture through digestive enzymes.
The bladderwort is absolutely beautiful, and lethal if you are an insect in it's path. The plants are tiny and long stemmed above the water with a nice flower on top. The trap is underneath the surface, and made up of sacs or bladders. When the sacs are flat, they are waiting for the next meal to come along. Once on top of the sac, the insect will touch the hairs near the sacs opening, and the sides of the sac will expand quickly. The resulting rush of water will take the insect inside the plant so that the digestive juices can extract the needed nutrients for the plant.

Bladderworts are well represented in North America, with a dozen species located here. Most bladderworts grow in the water, though if the circumstances are right, they can grow on land. Some of the various types of bladderworts include the horned bladderwort, the humped bladderwort, the zig-zag bladderwort, and the southern bladderwort to name a few. They vary in color from species to species, but to most, the horned version is the most spectacular. It is slightly larger than most of the others, and a vibrant bright yellow flower sits atop it's inch long stem. The flower somewhat resembles an orchid.