Do plants have stomachs and teeth? How are they able to catch prey like other carnivores if they can’t run? And when they catch insects, where do they go? These are mind-baffling questions indeed and certainly worthy of a little hands-on investigation! Scientists, biologists, and creepy-crawler lovers, are you ready to find out what happens when love bites this February? Eeeeew!

Did you know?

Carnivorous plants, also known as insectivorous plants, are those which get their nutrition by catching and digesting insects. How cool is that? Carnivory in plants is owing to centuries of evolution, driven by pure instinct to survive in areas with nitrogen-poor soil. There are over 600 known species of insectivorous plants around the world, time to get yours!

The deadliest devils

Here are a few carnivorous contenders that will make the perfect dissection specimen.

1. Sundew: These bad boys exude a sticky substance that attracts and then traps insects and other small prey. Their meal is quickly swallowed by a web of tiny tentacles and digested by enzymes within the plant stems and leaves.
2. Venus Fly Trap: One of the most popular meat-eaters with trigger-sensitive, dangerous jaws! They use sweet nectar to attract their prey and then with interlocking teeth, trap their victims. Digestive enzymes get to work as the plant absorbs a lovely nutritious soup.
3. American Trumpet Pitcher: This cleaver funnel-like plant hunts using a pit-fall trap. Insects are attracted by a nectar-like secretion on the top of the leaves. Unlucky for them, the nectar is poisonous, sending their intoxicated bodies tumbling down the funnel.
4. Tropical Pitcher Plant: Similar to the beastie above but more sack-like in appearance. They too attract insects using sweet intoxicating nectar. Prey slip on the rims of the plant, falling into a pool of death and soon drowning inside a sticky acidic liquid.

With World Water Day just around the corner, on the 22^nd of March, Life is a Garden has put together an engaging water filtration experiment for the whole family. Get the kids involved and  teach them about water pollution and how to get clean water.

Living in a drought-stricken country, water is a very precious resource. Sadly, many South African’s do not have access to clean water. Teaching  kids about the importance of water in agriculture is an essential aspect of education and will help youngsters understand just how critical H2O is for  a healthy environment.

This fun science experiment teaches kids about the importance of clean drinking water. It also demonstrates the process of how to clean dirty or polluted water using a natural filtration system.

You can make a water filter using recycled materials found at home. This water experiment is appropriate for kids aged ten and up, and can be used during science class or as a hands-on, educational experiment at home.

You will need the following supplies:

• Two glass jars
• Fine, clean sand
• Gravel or small stones
• Rocks
• Coffee filters, cotton balls or a small cloth
• Activated charcoal
• Clear plastic bottle
• Dirty water
• Scissors or a knife

 Instructions

1. Cut an old plastic soda or juice bottle in half using scissors or a knife.

2. Place the bottle upside down into the glass jar..

3. Place cotton balls, cloth, or a coffee filter inside the bottle as the first layer. The first layer should be about two to three centimetres thick.

4. Add three to five centimetres of activated charcoal as the second layer, on top of the cotton layer.

5. Over the charcoal, add about three centimetres of fine sand as the third layer.

6. Add about three to four centimetres of gravel or small stones on top of the fine sand.