Killer Plants?

There is a plant that seems to be straight out of a horror film, the story usually goes: a killer plant takes over a small town and starts growing by eating people until it becomes gargantuan. Well surprisingly, the Venus flytrap is that killer plant, but not for people; for insects. It is interesting to think, but these predator plants also live in North Carolina; as well as Florida and other eastern states. The Venus flytrap is a well known plant because of their unique ability to capture insects and consume them. Many of the homo sapien species are intrigued and fascinated by these extraordinary plants and it is rare for someone not to know about these botanical species. They live in areas greatly populated by insects and arachnids, which are mostly boggy places like swamps and marshes. The Venus flytrap has a unique form to it compared to other species within the plantae kingdom. The Venus flytrap can grow eight to twelve inches high and the leaves grow eight to fifteen centimeters long.[1] There is one vertical stem that shoots upward with white flowers sprouting from it, but it has other stems coming from its roots and at the end of these a is the trap; which is camouflaged looking like leaves. The trap resembles in mechanism and image that of a metal animal trap which is set up on the ground covered by brush until an animal steps on it and then it snaps shut. This is similar to the flytrap, because the leaf will lie and wait until its prey lands in it and then will enclose around it. This is where insects and arachnids get caught because they don’t realize they’ve stepped into a trap until it is too late.

The Venus flytrap is scientifically classified as a Dionaea Muscipula[2], and is called so because it is a part of a rare species of plant; which is the Droseraceae family[3] and this consists of carnivorous plants. But calling them carnivorous is questionable because when you think “carnivorous” you think meat eating and insects do not contain meat in them. But surprisingly, both insects and arachnids are from the animalia kingdom. So calling such plants, as the Venus flytrap, carnivorous can be scientifically correct; but the word “insectivorous” can be used as well. The flytraps of the Droseraceae family contain a large amount of mucilaginous, which is a sticky substance that acts like glue……most plants contain amounts of mucilaginous in them whether large or small.[4] How the flytrap works is that at the end of each stem, other than the flowering stem, a leaf is formed that looks like a heart, or a mouth depending how you view it. That leaf has hair sensors on it so that whenever something triggers just one of those hairs the trap, mouth, will close and ensnare whatever insect is inside; but if there is no insect the trap will reopen after a period of time. This works similar to a security system that has floor sensors. When the system is on, and if someone or something just barely touches the floor the alarm will go off alerting the police.

The Venus flytrap not only gets the proteins and nutrients it needs from the prey it catches but because it is a plant it still uses photosynthesis, and extracts energy from the sun. Unlike mammals, which consume and digest their food, carnivore (or insectivore) plants do not digest their prey. They take what they need from the unfortunate insect who lands in their trap, and usually what the plants are looking for are quantities of nitrogen and phosphorous.[5] The reason the flytrap uses both photosynthesis and collecting nutrients from insects is because of the environment they live in. In most boggy and marshy areas the sun barely gets through to these plants, and so if they did not use the technique of catching insects and taking the nutrients from them, they would all die out.[6] After enticing its prey with its sweet nectar the Venus flytrap will close around the insect when the hairs are triggered, and the insect will be trapped because of the “teeth”[7] of the plant; which is why it can be compared to a mouth. But because insects aren’t the only things to set the trap off, the Venus flytrap is unique in that if a leaf or branch triggers trap, after a day it will reopen, because it knows it wasn’t an insect that it caught; and how the plant knows it’s an insect is because the insect will let out acids from their body when captured.[8] The process after this is that the cell walls of the trap will tighten around the insect, after knowing for sure it is one, and then will excavate through the insect to find the proper proteins it needs to dissolve them into itself, meanwhile destroying any bacteria and fungi it finds, and then using its enzymes to liquefy the soft parts of the bug and consume it.[9] After the leaf of the Venus plant is finished absorbing the parts of the insect it needs, it will reopen to allow the exoskeleton of the insect to be blown away, so the trap can be cleared to be used again. Then after a few meals (three to five) of insect-eating the leaf trap of the plant will close up to allow photosynthesis to work on it and grow it, for about two to three months.[10] So even though the plant gets some of its food source from insects it is mostly grown by the sun; which is typical in all plant species.

Even though the Venus flytrap is considered on the extinct list to be vulnerable they are commonly cultivated and farmed. Many people grow the flytrap because they are interested in watching the carnivorous plant work. But because Venus flytraps live in marshy areas many don’t survive being domestically grown, and different mutated versions of the Dionaea Muscipula are created because of this.[11] It is amazing to think that such fragile and delicate greenery is actually capable of providing for itself by “biting” back. Plants are particularly seen as objects and not a living thing, but they are indeed living species and this is clearly seen through carnivorous (insectivorous) plants like the Venus flytrap. The plant knows exactly how to survive in its habitat and is be the epitome of Darwin’s theory; the survival of the fittest. Darwin was fascinated by this rare carnivorous plant species and their unique capabilities. But the question is how can a detailed and unique living creature be a product of evolution? The way it is built, from its flowered stem to its tricky leaves, is an enigma to scientists who hold to the Evolution theory. Because this plant just doesn’t seem to fit with the notion of evolving out of nothing, but seems to line up with the idea of being designed and made by an intelligent being.

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[1] http://creation.mobi/venus-flytrap-ingenious-mechanism-still-baffles-darwinists

[2] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap

[3]Ibid.

[4] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucilage

[5] http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-does-the-venus-flytra

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap

Arachnid’s web; A Spider with a Big Appetite

The most intriguing thing I found out when I came to live in North Carolina was that there was a certain spider living here that I had read about when I was younger. It is a spider with the inept ability to catch birds in their intricately woven webs and feed on them; the bird eating spider. I thought such spider’s only lived in countries like Australia or perhaps in the Amazon, but then I found out that they lived in North Carolina as well as other states. How I came to find out about this was one day while sitting in Latin class I looked out the window and in the tree there was a dead bird caught in a web. It shocked, yet fascinated, me because I had no clue such spiders dwelt in North Carolina. Then after that incident I would constantly spot these spider’s webs, with birds in them, in the trees as we would drive by. Lastly, a few days ago outside our house a spider was out the back door and my friend called me over to it, and I saw right away that it was a bird eating spider because I had just researched on them the night before so I knew what type of colorings they had and how sizable they were. Let’s just say I thank God for whoever invented Raid, because we used plenty of it on him or her.

The name of this type of spider is Golden silk orb-weaver, and this is because of the color of web they create which can look gold if the sun shines directly on it. Unfortunately I was not able to experience seeing this rare phenomenon because I did not know this little fact until after I had killed the spider and taken the web down with a broom. We were only able to see the web if we stood in a certain place, and this is also a rare fact about the Golden orb-weaver. They create their webs to blend in with whatever background is behind them. I will go into their web-building later, for now I want to give a broad overview of the species. The scientific name for this particular spider, which can be found in the United States from North Carolina to Texas, is Nephila Clavipes. Which in the Latin clavis means “lock pick” and Pedis means “foot.[1]” It is from the Nephilidae family which the name actually comes from the Hebrew word Nephilim which means “giants.[2]” It can be considered a giant in contrast to the typical spider, but it does not even come close to those of the tarantula species. Speaking of which, in Australia and other warmer climates there is a spider that is of the Tarantula species called the Goliath Bird-eater which also can be seen chowing down on the bird genus. But both the Goliath bird-eater and Golden orb-weaver do not mainly feed on birds. Their diet consists of mostly insects, but because of the strength of the Golden orb-weaver’s web sometimes birds tend to get trapped when flying through the woods (the Goliath can be seen catching birds because of it considerable size, and sometimes even bats, snakes, and rats[3]). Different species of the Nephilidae family can be found in different environments, for instance the Golden orb-weaver can be found in Japan, Australia, New Guinea, Southern Africa, Madagascar, China, and Thailand.[4] All the species have different markings and colors to them but it is not too distinguished where you can’t tell that it is a Golden orb-weaver. The distinct features of an orb-weaver is that on its long legs they have red, black, and yellow stripes while the body is rather elongated, and the female when she matures can have a sort of yellow-reddish shell covering her back and abdomen area; while the legs proceed from the upper abdomen. This gives the spider a sort of rib-caged effect on its upper abdomen. The male is smaller then the female, which is common in many spider species, and he looks like a miniature version of the female but he does not have the shell-type covering on back and lower abdomen. All of the Nephila species have these colors distinguishing them, with some variations.

The most fascinating and awe-inspiring thing about this spider is its intricate web. While all spiders spin webs of various sizes, shapes, and design the Golden silk orb-weaver is the only one to produce the most beautiful and intricate of all spider classes. The reason it is called the Golden orb-weaver is because of the color of web spun, which if it is in direct sunlight will shine gold, which like its body is bright and would be expected to be seen by flying birds and insects. But in fact the orb-weaver spins its web in such a way to camouflage it into the background. It knows exactly the precise direction to place its web and the best position for it. It is amazing to think that a simple animal like this can have an innate knack for building its web in this way so to hide it from certain predators. Birds are indeed one of those many predators that eat these spiders, but the orb-weavers web can turn their status from prey to predator because of their unique webs. It is said that their web is stronger than steel which is why it is able to catch smaller bird species.[5] I wished I had kept the web up to see it shine gold in the sun. The web is spun in the typical octagon-shape like most spider webs are, but the color, size, and design differs from normal arachnids. The design is spun in a zigzag pattern and can look incomplete, but it is very complex because if you look at it from afar you can’t see the fine-meshed lining of the web. Young Golden orb-weavers aren’t mature enough to spin the gold colored web but that won’t stop them from building as equally intricate webs as the mature ones.

For such small and non-noticeable creatures they have the inept ability to make their webs camouflaged, so to capture their prey before it knows what has happened. They know exactly how to build their web, strong enough to capture small to medium birds, and also know exactly where to place their web to make it invisible. Many arachnids have this ability and many times you don’t notice the web but only the spider. Also spiders seem to have an intelligence about them, their bodies are so sensitive to light and shade that they can sense when a shadow is on them and they usually go still and stop moving. Their sensitivity to light goes so far that if they are crawling on the floor and your shadow gets close to them, but not on them, they will stop a few inches away because they sense that something is moving. It is like they have their own personality, because one spider was crawling on the floor of my friend’s apartment and as soon as she grabbed the Raid to kill him, he stopped going around the corner and turned to go back the way he came; as if he knew what was happening and was trying to run away. Most people are disgusted and creeped out by these interesting looking animals but even these creepy-crawlers prove that they were created in such a way so that they would be able to survive life in their environment. Because they naturally live by what they were created to do, and that was to live long enough to reproduce and bring many more of their kind into this world. They survive off of their intricate web-work because that is where they catch their food. Is it just random that they can spin silk in such a pattern to catch their prey? Is it random that their eight legs are small enough, yet sturdy enough, to spin their webs, crawl on the ground, walls, ceilings, trees and plants, and wrap their prey in a perfect mummified ball of silk to feed on and preserve it? Is anything about a spider’s existence random, or is it us that has it wrong? How can something so intricately fashioned to survive the life it lives be a random act of nature? Everything about the spider, right down to its very hair sensors on its legs, just screams that it wasn’t randomly put together but was indeed created. Just like a work of art that is carefully thought and planned out for hours before it’s painted, then the artist takes longer to start their creation, until after hours of detail and care the painting is finished. The spider is just like that work of art.   

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[1] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephila_clavipes.

[2] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neplilim.

[3] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliath_birdeater.

[4] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_silk_orb-weaver.

[5] Ibid.

Introduction: Another Passion of my heart

I already have a blog going with one of the passions of my heart that I write on; archaeology. But I have another passion, or I should say two or three passions. When I was young I was not only interested in history and archaeology, but I would spend hours reading and studying Animals, insects, and plants. How they lived, what they ate, their environments, and every other fact about them I could research. I believe that God created the animals and insects for specific purposes and through studying them I came to see that. I also saw another amazing thing, and that is through the animals and insects God is revealed. For Theologians, this is called general revelation; where an intelligent being is revealed through the things we see around us and even ourselves. But general revelation can only go so far, and this is why so many civilizations worshiped a god of some kind because they saw the things around them and knew it had to be created. But to learn and know who the true God is, the God of the Bible, we need to shown what is called “Special revelation,” which is what Paul used to tell the gentiles in Acts 17:23-32. Jesus was his message and he preached: “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent(v. 30).” Those who worshiped gods went through a time of ignorance, but because of Jesus there is no longer ignorance and the true God is shown. Because if he was not God he would not have risen from the dead, only God could have power over death. So through the general revelation of this world I wish in this blog to show how it can lead to proof that there is an intelligent designer, and that we know who He is and what He has done. That He came to this earth walked among us, was put to death, and then rose again on the third day. The creatures of the earth show the glory of God and that is why scripture says: “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. (Isaiah 55:12).” Because all of creation in the way God made it gives glory unto the Lord. In this blog I desire to demonstrate that through the studies of Zoology, entomology, and botany the general revelation of God, an intelligent being, is clearly shown. Furthermore, by proving the existence of God, I wish to enlighten people to who God is, and encourage those who already know him to see how the creatures of earth proclaim his glory.

Enjoy,

Nicole Bittle