Sundew is an unusual plant that traps and digests insects. Sundew leaves are covered with small red hairs that bear glands. The glands produce drops of sticky fluid. The plant gets its name because in the sunlight these drops glitter like drops of dew. An insect may easily become stuck to the drops of sticky fluid. Then the hairs fold in around the insect and hold it. Fluid covers the insect and suffocates it. The glands produce juices that digest the victim.
There are over 100 species of sundews. Sundews are found on all continents except Antarctica. Common kinds of sundews have round or spoon-shaped leaves that grow in a cluster at the base of the stem. Their small flowers grow atop tall, slender stalks. The round-leaved sundew, the most common kind, thrives in bogs and marshes across most of the United States.
See also Carnivorous plant.
