Plants That Eat Insects?! The Weird and Wonderful World of Carnivorous Plants

When I talk about who eats who in the natural world, the food web always grabs attention - especially with kids! One of my favourite moments during my biodiversity workshops is seeing their eyes widen and curiosity take flight when I reveal the apex predator on our farm: the mighty wedge-tailed eagle. Majestic, powerful, and soaring high above it all.

But the real action? It is happening down at ground level, where the wild world of hunting and munching plays out on a tiny scale. Every living thing needs to eat to survive - some nibble on leaves, others munch and crunch on other creatures and some, like the wedge tailed eagles even work together in groups to bring down larger prey. 

But what about plants? We usually think of them as passive, peaceful, green things.  They soak up sunshine, grow quietly, produce pretty flowers.... they definitely don’t have fangs or a taste for flesh… ...or do they?

The food web on our farm - who eats who of the natural world!

The Weird and Wonderful World of Carnivorous Plants

Yep, some plants eat animals - usually insects, and they’ve developed amazing ways to do it.

These are known as carnivorous plants, and they’ve evolved to grow in nutrient-poor environments. When they can’t get enough food from their roots, they supplement their diet by trapping and digesting unsuspecting bugs. 

Most people immediately think of the Venus flytrap - with its toothy snap and bug-catching speed. But there is a huge biodiversity of insect-munching flora out there…

Pitcher Plants, Borneo, and Rat Tales

Years ago, I traveled to Borneo and trekked up Mt. Kinabalu.  It was a AWESOME trip full of nature. One of my most vivid memories were the pitcher plants I spotted along the way - deep, colorful cups of digestive doom for insects (and maybe more?).  A local guide told me some species could digest small rodents like rats. Truth or legend? I’m not entirely sure. But this is when the world of carnivorous plants captured my imagination!

Charles Darwin’s Favourite Plant?

You may know Darwin for his book "The Origin of Species," but did you know he was also obsessed with carnivorous plants? His favourite? Drosera - better known as sundew. He was so enchanted by these sticky little wonders that he wrote:

"I care more about Drosera than the origin of all the species in the world."

Darwin spent years experimenting on Drosera rotundifolia, proving that these sparkling, delicate-looking plants were actually cunning insect hunters.

Surprise! Sundews on My Farm

Over the years I experimented with keeping carnivorous plants - Venus flytraps, pitcher plants and others have graced my windowsills.  But I recently had a surprise discovery on my farm.

Tucked away among the moss and native grasses was a dazzling cluster of Drosera aberrans, also known as the scented sundew.

Yes - a native carnivorous plant, right under my nose, in the wild!  Soo exciting!

An exciting find - Drosera aberrans on our Farm

So How Do They Work?

The Drosera genus (sundews) is one of the largest groups of carnivorous plants, with around 194 species.

They don’t snap or suck like other carnivorous plants - instead, their leaves are covered in sticky, glistening glands that look like dewdrops in the sun. But beware - these drops aren’t water. They’re mucilage, a glue-like substance that traps insects. Once an insect lands, the leaf slowly curls around it and starts to digest it. Delicate and deadly.

These plants usually live in clusters, forming colonies, which helps them thrive in challenging environments with poor soil nutrition.

But… Do They Eat Their Pollinators?

Now this got me thinking about pollination - how do carnivorous plants get pollinated if they eat insects?

Wouldn’t they be munching on the very insects they need to reproduce?

There are lots of variations, but it turns out that many sundew species have evolved clever adaptations. Some grow their flowers on long stalks, far away from their sticky traps - essentially keeping their pollinators safe from becoming dinner.

The ones I found haven’t flowered yet, but I’ll be keeping a close eye on them this spring to see what unfolds!

Want to Learn More About Nature’s Wild Side? Incursions & Workshops

If you love this kind of stuff as much as I do, I run workshops and incursions all about:

• Bees

• Biodiversity

• Pollination

• Citizen Science

• And the weird, wonderful, and sometimes bloodthirsty world of plants and animals

  
  

Whether you're a school, community group, or curious nature lover - come and explore the unexpected stories of the natural world with me. Because let’s be honest - plants that eat insects?  That’s the kind of thing kids (and adults) never forget.

Friends with Honey - Primary School Bee Incursion

Biodiversity: The Wild World of Reproduction in Antechinus & Honey Bees

Reproduction in nature is wild, weird, and absolutely fascinating!

As a beekeeper, I’m naturally obsessed with pollination and the incredible connection between flowers and their pollinators that has evolved over millions of years.  But recently, a different little critter caught my attention at our biodiversity farm.  We’ve set up video cameras around the property to capture the comings and goings of local wildlife.  It’s a fantastic way to get a behind the scenes glimpse, especially of what the nocturnal creatures get up to while we’re fast asleep.  One evening, while reviewing the footage, I thought I’d spotted a mouse... but something didn’t quite add up.  The pointy snout, the distinctive white ring around its eyes - and importantly, the fact that it wasn’t in the plague proportions of mice - made me look again. That’s when I realised I’d stumbled across something far more exciting: an Antechinus!

This small, insect-munching marsupial is native to Australia and belongs to the same family as the iconic Tasmanian devil.  But what truly makes the Antechinus stand out isn’t just its nocturnal habits or appetite for spiders and centipedes -  it’s the mind-blowing reproductive strategy of this marsupial shrew.

The Ultimate Mating Marathon

Male Antechinus live fast and die young - literally.  Each winter, they embark on a two-week mating frenzy.  Think non-stop action, sometimes for up to 12 hours!  But here’s the downer: they die after mating.

This dramatic end is due to a spike in cortisol (the stress hormone), which shuts down their immune system and causes a total bodily collapse. One day they’re out there giving it their all… the next, they’re found peacefully expired (just like this one that I found in our shed), with no injuries - just nature running its course.  Sad? A bit. But also kind of impressive. They live just long enough to pass on their genes - and go out with a bang!

This one-time, high-stakes reproductive strategy is called semelparity, or "suicidal reproduction." It’s rare in mammals but perfectly normal for Antechinus.

Antechinus live fast and die young!

Honey Drone Bees: The Royal Treatment (until it gets cold!)

Of course, all this got me thinking about my favourite boys in the animal kingdom: honey drone bees. Their story is equally jaw-dropping.

Like Antechinus males, drone bees are single-minded when it comes to mating. Their only job is to fly out during the warm spring and summer months in search of a queen from another colony. When a lucky drone succeeds, he mates mid-air during her nuptial flight… and dies immediately after.  Why? Because the act of mating literally causes his endophallus or penis to explode - yes, explode - inside the queen. Nature is nothing if not dramatic!!

But unlike the Antechinus, not all drones get the chance to mate. The unsuccessful ones spend their days lounging in the hive, getting fed by the tireless female worker bees. Sounds like a sweet deal… until autumn hits.  With food supplies tightening, the workers stop the royal pampering treatment and kick the drones out - leaving them to perish in the cold.

The unsuccessful drone bees spend their days lounging in the hive, getting fed by the tireless female worker bees.

Semelparity vs. Iteroparity: Biodiversity is everything.

While male Antechinus and drones might seem similar, there’s an important difference in their species’ overall reproductive strategy.

• Antechinus: semelparous. The males breed once and die. Females rear the young alone.

• Honey bees: iteroparous. The queen mates once (with multiple drones), but then stores the sperm and continues laying eggs (sometimes for years), keeping the colony thriving.

  
  

It’s a reminder that even in the insects and mammals, diversity is everything - not just in species, but in reproductive strategy.

Nature’s Lessons: Incursions - From our Farm to your Classroom

Here on our biodiversity farm, I’m constantly amazed by nature - and I love sharing these stories with others. Whether it's the mating marathon of the Antechinus or the aerial acrobatics of bee mating, there’s a powerful lesson in every creature’s lifecycle.

If your school, library, or community centre is looking for an educational and entertaining incursion that blends science, storytelling, and the wonderful world of pollinators, I’d love to bring the buzz your way!  Our Friends with Honey incursion programs are designed to inspire curiosity, connect kids with nature, and celebrate biodiversity in all its fascinating glory.

🐝 Get in touch to learn more or book your incursion

Bee Incursion Programs | Sustainability Education | Live Performance Kids Show | Festivals & Events

Weather, Bees, and Biodiversity: Why We Installed a Weather Station on Our Farm

It’s been the longest dry spell we’ve ever experienced on our farm. Both of our dams dried up completely - at first, we thought they might be leaking, but when we heard from other local farmers and saw the headlines about the most devastating drought in Western Victoria, we realised: it wasn’t just us.

And here’s the irony - this year, we installed two new water tanks. Great timing, right?

But one thing we’ve noticed over and over again is that the weather on our farm feels different from the surrounding areas.  Amphitheatre (yes, that’s the name of our nearest town!) sits nestled among hills and mountains, creating a natural amphitheatre that gives us a front-row seat to some spectacular weather events.  We can see storms rolling in from kilometres away, rainbows stretching over valleys, and clouds casting beautiful shadows across the land.

Rainbows stretching across valleys - so beautiful

We also know that weather plays a huge role in the biodiversity on our land - especially for our bees.  So, with our usual mix of curiosity, citizen science enthusiasm, and a love for all things nature-nerdy, this year we invested in something exciting:

Our very own Helios wi-fi weather station!

Now, if you're picturing a spaceship in the middle of a paddock, I’m going to stop you right there. Our Helios wi-fi weather station is a compact little device that lives happily on top of one of our solar panels, quietly doing its job. It even has its own solar pannel and connects to an app on our phones. With a few taps, we can see exactly what’s happening with the weather on our farm - real-time insights where ever we are.

Real time weather insights from our Helios wi-fi weather station mobile app

Our Helios wi-fi weather station is a compact little device that sits on top of our solar panels

So… what does our weather station actually measure,

and why does it matter?

Here are just a few things our station keeps track of - and how they affect life on the farm:

Sunlight (measured in kilolux)

Bees love sunshine! (now I'm singing 'here comes the sun' from our Friends with Honey Musical Kids Show Album!). The more sunlight there is, the more likely our bees are to be out and about collecting nectar and pollen from flowers. On overcast days, they’re often more sluggish or stay home altogether.

Sunlight is also critical for us because we’re 100% solar-powered here on the farm - sunlight = electricity. So every sunny day powers both the bees and the humans on our farm too!

Rainfall

When it rains, we do a little happy dance! (I'm not kidding!!) Every drop is precious, especially after months of drought. But while we’re celebrating, the bees are staying put.  Foraging in the rain is risky – wet wings and strong winds can be deadly.  So rain means the bees take a break and the plants get a drink.

Dew Point

Dew point tells us when moisture in the air condenses into actual droplets - like morning dew on the grass.  For bees, high dew point means damp mornings, and that can delay the time they go out foraging.. But for our parched plants, dew has been a lifesaver - giving a gentle sip of water even when no rain has fallen for weeks.

Temperature

Bees are temperature-sensitive.

• Below 12°C? They stay huddled in the hive.

• Above 38°C? They slow right down to avoid overheating.  Inside the hive, they work together to regulate temperature. On hot days, they even practice evaporative cooling - bringing in water and fanning their wings to keep down the temperature.

  
  

Meanwhile, we humans are layering up in winter and gulping down water in summer.

“Feels Like” Temperature

Now this one’s fun. You know when old mate at the pub says, “It’s only 25, but it feels like 35”?  Turns out, he’s onto something - “feels like” temperature is based on real science.  It accounts for humidity, wind, and air temperature to describe what it actually feels like to your body. For bees, it’s not about “feeling” it the same way we do, but they definitely respond to humidity, wind, and heat in ways that mirror our own need for comfort and safety.

Why it all matters: becoming better custodians of our beautiful land.

The weather station isn’t just for curiosity (although we do love nerding out over it). It’s giving us real insights into:

• How the local climate is shifting

• How bees behave and adapt

• How all biodiversity responds to all the weather variables

From wedge-tailed eagles in the sky to earthworms in the soil, every living thing on our farm is connected to the weather.  And the more we understand it, the better custodians we can be of our beautiful land.

From wedge-tailed eagles in the sky to earthworms in the soil, every living thing on our farm is connected to the weather. 

We’re still learning about the other data points our weather station collects - and how they tie into the bigger story of climate, biodiversity, and resilience.  But one thing’s for sure: the more we pay attention to the patterns of nature, the more we realise just how extraordinary this place really is!

Want to learn more about how weather, bees, and biodiversity are connected?

Friends with Honey offer engaging, hands-on programs for schools, kindergartens, and community groups that bring these concepts to life - complete interactive activities, singing, dancing and storytelling. Whether it's exploring pollination, understanding biodiversity, or discovering how weather shapes nature, there's something for every age group.

Bookings are now open for incursion programs, workshops, and seasonal events. 👉 Click here to enquire or book a session – We’’d love to bring the buzz to your school or community event!

Bee Incursion Programs | Sustainability Education | Live Performance Kids Show | Festivals & Events