Pitcher Plants   GENUS Sarracenia

Sarracenia flava

A pitcher typically retains a small amount of liquid at the base. In a tall species like S. flava, filling the pitcher with lots of water is a risky proposition, since the slender leaf tend to tilt and fall to the ground due to the weight of water. This happens often in nature after a heavy rain. A sharply reflected lid offers only a modest protection from falling rain water.  In this Florida habitat, I found a pitcher retaining a fair amount of water. I was tempted to take a peek. In it a moth was helplessly captured, struggling to fly off without v. . I wonder if the liquid has lower surface tension than normal water to allow swift drowning of the prey.

A bug's-eye view of the pitcher interior, as seen from within the pitcher tube, looking up. Peaceful blue sky offers a stark contrast to the deadly hell within for the trapped prey. Slippery pitcher wall prevents a steady foothold for the trapped insect attempting to climb up the pitfall trap. 

Spiders also fall victim to the pitcher plant pitfall trap. Deep at the bottom of this S. flava pitcher in Florida, a spider lays drowned in the deadly pool of digestive fluid. 

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