Venus Flytrap

• Perhaps the most well-known carnivorous plant in North America is the Venus Flytrap. Venus Flytraps employ several mouth-like traps to catch insect prey. The traps open and remain open until a fly or other insect lands or crawls onto it. Once the trap feels movement, it then snaps shut, trapping the insect and initiating the digestion process. Venus Flytraps are native to the coastal area of southeastern North Carolina in the U.S. Most of the plant is usually green in color with the inside surfaces of the trap being a pinkish-red hue. Venus Flytraps undergo a period of dormancy during the winter months, during which many of its traps will turn black and die.
  
  

Pitcher Plants

• Another type of carnivorous plant is the pitcher plant. Unlike the Venus Flytrap, pitcher plants are found in several countries, including India, Borneo, Australia, Brazil, Canada and the U.S. Pitcher plants use a passive pitfall trap to catch their prey. The plants are typically tubular in shape, several inches long, with a hollow cylindrical mouth-like cavity. The pitfall trap works simply by insect prey walking or falling into the mouth of the plant and then crawling out due to small hairs on the inside walls of the plant's mouth. A pool of digestive liquid rests inside the bottom of the mouth cavity and begins breaking down prey as soon as it becomes trapped.
  
  

Butterworts

• Butterworts are another type of carnivorous plant, though they are not as well known as the Venus flytrap or pitcher plants. Over 80 known species of butterworts exist, which can be found in areas of Mexico and South America as well as northern regions of North America, Europe and Russia. Butterworts trap their prey through the use of sticky leaves. Once an insect lands or crawls onto a leaf, it becomes stuck in an oily liquid and is digested on the spot.
  
  

Sundews

• A carnivorous plant that can be found in nearly every temperate region of the planet is the sundew plant. Sundews grow in tropical climates, cold climates, dry areas and moist and humid areas. The plants grows on six of the seven continents, with the lone exception being Antarctica. Sundews catch their prey much like butterworts, except that they have tentacles protruding from their leaves. At the tip of each tentacle is a small ball-like pod that secretes an extremely sticky liquid. When an insect lands on the plant, it becomes stuck in the liquid. On some types of sundews, the tentacles will close around the struggling insect. The movement of the struggling insect triggers the secretion of enzymes that break down and begin to digest the insect.