Terrifying Wildlife!

Issue #1

written by Ivy Thornbranch

Picture yourself as an innocent little frog, hopping about. A breeze rustles through the trees’ branches, and you feel it caressing your skin. You take a flying leap towards a flower, only to fall straight through to your death. … Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog on terrifying wildlife! Today we’re talking about the Pitcher Plant. How is it so deadly? How does it survive? It’s just a flower, after all. Well, this particular plant has its very own built-in deadfall trap. On the top of the flower are leaves, designed to make it look like solid ground. When an animal hops on top of it, they’ll fall straight through, drowning quickly in nectar. Formerly being a frog, I hope you can empathize with its victims. All that’s left of amphibians like you will be the bottom of your toe pads. Pitcher Plants typically grow in places where the soil lacks nutrients, as they rely on their prey to stay alive. It’s totally something you could grow at home with very little maintenance- apart from feeding it animals and whatnot. This deadly flower is close to the Bromeliad. Bromeliads are the non-scary version of Pitcher Plants. Instead of nectar, they hold water, and frogs enjoy hopping around the miniature ponds. The sides of a Pitcher Plant are often slick with nectar and condensation, making it easy to fall in. On the inside of the plant, you’ll find scales or hairs designed to stop you from climbing out. Typically, these plants are on the smaller side, but in the Poison Jungle, they grow much bigger. I’m not surprised- all the plant life there is big and scary. That’s it for today’s blog, I hope you enjoyed! Comment below your favourite deadly plant or animal.