New England Carnivorous Plant Society

Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Botanists from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and The Nature Conservancy recently confirmed the discovery of a new plant species in Maryland - the dwarf sundew (Drosera brevifolia). Local volunteer botanist Chase Howard discovered and reported the plant growing in open areas with wet, peaty sand in Worcester County.

This is the first record of this species growing in Maryland. Prior to this discovery, Virginia was the northern range limit. Dwarf sundew is an insectivorous plant with a unique way of catching its prey. The paddle-shaped leaves of the sundew form a rosette at the base and are densely covered with hairs that exude a clear, sticky liquid, which attracts and traps various kinds of insects. It then uses the nutrients from the prey animals as fertilizer.

"This clever plant has adapted to life in very nutrient-poor environments," Maryland Department of Natural Resources community ecologist Jason Harrison said. "Discoveries like this continue to show that we're not done learning about Maryland's biodiversity."

Dwarf sundew is now the smallest of four sundew species known to Maryland. One of the more common sundews is Spatula-leaved sundew (Drosera intermedia), which is known to exist in open wetlands in southern and eastern portions of the state. Two other sundews, Pink sundew (Drosera capillaris) and Roundleaf sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), are much more rare and usually found in very acidic wetlands with peaty soils.

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The fleeting bloom of this beautiful flower is the only clue we get when it comes to finding the most sophisticated meat-eating plant in the world. Bladderworts are carnivorous aquatic plants, with members of the family found in all 50 states and around much of the globe. They are considered the fastest plants in the world, with a trap mechanism that can capture a bug in one hundredth of a second. Most are fully aquatic, although there are a few species that live in pitcher plant bogs. The species in this photo, the common bladderwort, makes its living in the swamps of Alabama and the coastal South, trapping and then eating all manner of tiny creatures, from one-celled animals such as planaria and amoeba, right up to baby fish and tadpoles.

While they are voracious predators, bladderworts have escaped the notoriety of their carnivorous cousins, the pitcher plants or the Venus fly trap, largely due to the fact that they grow underwater as opposed to on land. In fact, the only time you can figure out where bladderworts are growing is during the spring bloom.

The yellow flowers give away the presence of the bladderworts in this lily pad-covered bayou off Bay Minette Creek. The lily pads belong to an unrelated plant. The bladderwort flowers and the stems they stand on are the only part of the plant visible above the water's surface. See the flowers fading off into the distance, an indicator of just how many bladderworts are present in this section of swamp.

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