Botanic Gardens: Sundew

Sticky detail in large ("L").

This is Drosera sp. (possible Drosera capensis, which is Cape Sundew from South Africa, but I'm not entirely sure). It is my favourite of the carnivorous plants in the glass house at Oxford's wonderful Botanic Gardens.

I love the way that their leaves have these bright tentactles, which are mucilage producing glands. The droplets are sticky and if an insect lands it gets stuck, then the leaf rolls up on them, and the central portion of the leaf produces digestive enzymes which then digest the insect and the plant absorbs the nutrients released. Beautiful but rather gruesome...

I'm off to London tomorrow for a brief 24-hour whirlwind visit: I'm attending a friend's wedding, catching up with a couple of other friends, and visiting the Goosles! I doubt that I'll be able to blip tomorrow, but if I don't then I will backblip when I blip my Sunday image.
I'm going to get behind, and doubt I'll be able to catch up, so might just draw a line and start following your journals again from when I get back. Eep, please accept my apologies!