November-December 2022 - 56

GARDEN Rx
small-only a few inches across with
pairs of one-inch-long, hinged leaves.
Sweet nectar lures in an insect where it
brushes against the trigger hairs. Nothing
happens after the first touch, but the trap
snaps shut the second time the hairs are
touched. Fine teeth along the edge of the
leaves keep the victim locked in place. As
the captured bug struggles, the trap closes
tighter. The plant then exudes a digestive
enzyme to dissolve its victim, so it can
absorb its nutrients. After successfully
sucking up three or four bugs, the leaves
will die off and new traps will grow.
Native to a small region in North
Carolina, they are considered endangered
and should never be collected from the
wild. " There is no reason to do that since
they are easily grown from seed or tissue
culture, " Newman says. The Venus flytrap
is a great introduction to the captivating
world of carnivorous plants. They are
widely available at garden centers around
the holidays. " As long as you do your
homework and know what the plants
need to survive, you should be successful, "
he says.
From Bog to Book
When Daniel DiPietro was a student at
Dartmouth College, he worked in the
Life Sciences greenhouse caring for the
carnivorous plant collection. It was an
interest that started long before college.
Like Newman, as a child he also was a
frequent visitor to a botanical garden near
his home which instilled an early love of
plants and nature. " I didn't start growing
carnivorous plants specifically until
my sophomore year of high school. I was
introduced to them by my friend Alvin
Liu, who had been collecting carnivorous
plants since he was around seven years
old. He gave me a small Cape sundew
(Drosera capensis) to care for and the rest
is history! " DiPietro says. Though he has
added other plants to his collection, sundews
are still a favorite. " I think sundews
are among the most beautiful plants anywhere.
I love how delicate they look and
the way their dew shimmers and reflects
the light, " he says. " To the untrained eye,
all sundews look very similar. However,
they're actually an incredibly diverse
group of plants. They come in all shapes,
sizes, colors, patterns and environments,
and they're found on every continent
except Antarctica. " He also finds their
ability to move fascinating. " Some longerleaved
species, like Drosera regia and
Drosera spiralis, can practically tie knots
around captured insects over the course
of a few hours, " he explains.
The Cape sundew was Dartmouth grad Daniel DiPietro's introduction to carnivorous plants. He has since co-authored a book about them.
54 New Hampshire Home | November/December 2022

November-December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November-December 2022

November-December 2022 - 1
November-December 2022 - 2
November-December 2022 - 3
November-December 2022 - 4
November-December 2022 - 5
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November-December 2022 - 7
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