Sticky fingers

A hugely magnified shot of this teeny Sundew leaf. I've always been fascinated by these carnivorous plants with their gorgeous little sticky "beads". This may have been something like quarter of an inch in reality. We were so lucky to see these Sundew plants at the Elkton Bog near Cremona, north west of the city.

"The carnivorous sundew plant, botanical name Drosera, has about 130 species. All of the species of the sundew plant are beautiful and many look like fireworks, but they are deadly to the insects that fly near to them. One thing that all carnivorous sundew plants do have is the gel-like substance at the tips of the tentacles that cover the leaves. This gel is a sticky substance that the insects that fly too near the plant get stuck on. The plant can then eat it. The many species of the sundew plant can be found all around the world, on every single continent. This is unusual for a plant because most carnivorous plants are found only in one or two regions of the world because of the different climates that they must live in. The plant is called sundew because of the gel like substance on the tentacles. The gel makes the plants look as if they have morning dew on them all day long, especially when it glistens in the sun." From www.carnivorous--plants.com/sundew-plant.html