Intherichsoilofarain forestinSumatra,arareflowerisabouttobloom.Ithasbeengrowingfornineyears.Theblossomwillonlyopenfor48hours.Itneedstobepollinatedduringthat time.

Theflowerbeginstounfurl.Insideitiswarmanddeepred.Butit’sthesmellthatyounotice.Thetitanarumplant,alsocalledthecorpseplant,isthesmelliestbloomontheplanet.Itsbadodoradvertisesafreemeal.It’sirresistibletoinsectsthatfeedondeadthings.Theylandontheflower.Thentheypollinateitastheywanderaroundlookingfor food.

Aflashofredcatchesafly’sattention.Asweetsmellsuggestsfood.Theflylandsonthesticky,redsurface.Thisisactuallytheinsideofahinged leaf.

Beforetheflycanflyoff,theleafsnapsshutlikeamouth.Thespikyedgesoftheleafactlikeafence.Theflystruggles,butit’snouse.IthasbeencaughtbyaVenusflytrap.And,it’sonitswaytobeing eaten!

Likemanyplants,a Venusflytrapgathersnutrientsfromsoilandair.But,theseplantsliveinpoorsoil.Theycan’tgetthenutrientstheyneed.So,theyfeedthemselvesbyeatinglive prey.

Theplant’sleavesarehingedlikeaclamshell.Insidearestiffhairsthatsensemotion.Whenaninsectmovesacrossonehair,nothinghappens.Butwhenasecondhair istouched,theleafsnapsshut.Theinsectis trapped.

Theplant’sdigestivejuicesthenbreakdownthesoftpartsoftheinsect.Afternutrientsareabsorbed,theleafopens.Theunwantedpartsfall out.