Lightfantastic

By Lightfantastic

Fruit Fly on Pinguicula

After a busy morning was wondering what to blip. Would the showers hold off for us to go for a walk, possibly not.
Then noticed the fruit fly on the pinguicula or butterwort leaf in the window. Was it stuck on the sticky drops that covered the leaves or what? It seemed a little big. On closer inspection the sticky drops were certainly making it difficult for the fly to get away but it was obviously attracted by the drops as it appeared to be licking/eating them with its proboscis. This means that the fly was actually ingesting some of the enzymes produced by the plant which might in turn digest the fly so the leave could absorb the nutriments. It was quite fascinating to watch. Eventually the fly succumbed so I cannot report that no animals were hurt in the shooting of the photos but that is nature in detail

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