• sprite0@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    34
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    3 days ago

    the venus fly trap contains small hairs inside of the mouth. It requires two hairs being triggered at the same time to ‘chomp’. The chomp action is biologically expensive so the plant can’t afford to do it until a proper sized meal will get digested and it will gain net energy.

    It also precludes smaller animals with strength from just walking out of the mouth.

    The plant did nothing wrong this is just a silly owner!

    • merde alors@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      ·
      3 days ago

      It requires two hairs being triggered at the same time to ‘chomp’.

      if you call “a few seconds” interval “at the same time”, yes

      “Flytraps show an example of memory in plants; the plant knows if one of its trigger hairs have been touched, and remembers this for a few seconds. If a second touch occurs during that time frame, the flytrap closes.”

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_flytrap

      • Scubus@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        3 days ago

        That was an amazing read, thanks. Crazy to think that the entire wild population os native to a 100km area

    • blackbrook@mander.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      3 days ago

      Having fire ants in your house seems pretty no bueno. Is this a common hazard in some places?

      • SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        3 days ago

        Fire ants are not uncommon in the American south, but I don’t know if they’re especially likely to invade homes.

      • StrawberryPigtails
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        3 days ago

        Speaking for us living in Alabama, cockroaches, fire ants, and scorpions are the reason most of us happily pay for pest control services.

        • GoodLuckToFriends@lemmy.today
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          3 days ago

          I know that it’s probably a sign of impending ecological doom, but where I live used to have scorpions coming in all the time. I don’t think I’ve even seen evidence of them outside for close to a decade. I guess I can appreciate the silver lining of the giant mushroom cloud.

  • TragicNotCute@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    19
    ·
    3 days ago

    Immediately I was like “how does a plant like that sting you”. I’m a bit of a slow child, although I get it now.

  • PlasticQuality7519@reddthat.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    11
    ·
    3 days ago

    Ants have formic acid, they’re bad for venus flytraps. Dr. Chomperton must have remembered their notes from the school of medicine