Many people are not aware of the biodiversity of nature around us and the creations made by mother nature. One of these strange creations is the round-leaved sundew, a herbaceous plant growing to a height of only ten centimeters. You can also find it in Croatia and its fantastic way of eating will take your breath away.
This hermaphrodite is extremely visually attractive thanks to the tiny transparent droplets that the plant secretes that help it hunt insects. They are similar to dewdrops, but much more deadly.
A carnivorous plant feeds on insects
This plant has adapted to its habitat in an exceptional way. Because they grow in special aquatic habitats where there is a lack of oxygen, the temperatures and acid reactions of plants growing in this soil are cooler. This is soil in which a limited number of plants grow, and they themselves are extremely difficult to decompose precisely because of the soil.
Since the sundew does not have time to obtain all the necessary nutrients and other things from such soil, it compensates for its need for food by hunting small insects. It works by secreting an attractive scented liquid that lures insects to its leaves, and when the insect lands on the leaf, it starts twisting to grip it as hard as possible. The leaf itself is a miracle of nature, as it contains enzymes that allow the plant to break down the captured prey. The plant then simply sucks all the soft tissue into itself, leaving behind only traces of the chitinous armor, which it is unable to decompose.
The leaves grow alternately on the principle that one after catching and decomposing a pair of insects dries up, but this way the plant gets enough nutrients to grow a new leaf.
Round-leafed sundew in Croatia
This unusual plant is found in a transitional rift and the most famous localities are Hrvatsko Zagorje, Dubravica, Plitvice, Karlovac and Fužine. The vicinity of Varaždin is another place where several specimens have been found.
The most important reason why this plant was included in the list of endangered species is the reduction of its population activated by the disappearance of ridges caused by human work, drainage, but also overgrowth of the territory.
The municipality of Dubravica, where specimens of this flower can still be found today, is actively involved in its protection, and in order to promote the plant, its representatives decided that it should be found in the city emblem.