How Does the Venus Flytrap Close So Fast?

Venus flytrap at Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA (photo from Wikimedia) 1 September 2026 The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is famous for being an actively carnivorous plant. Rather than wait passively for an insect to drop into digestive fluid, the trap lures insects to its specialized leaves that look like flowers with teeth. And then it snaps shut. Venus flytrap specialized trap leaf showing trigger hairs (photo from Wikimedia) Hungry Venus flytraps attract insects by turning red, emitting a flowery scent and producing sweet nectar around the rim of the trap. When prey lands, it sets in motion a sequence of events that provide the plant with nutrients lacking in its boggy habitat. — Description of the flytrap red leaf photo on Wikimedia After the trap snaps shut, the insect is slowly digested. How Venus Flytrap captures and digests prey (diagram from Wikimedia) The process is well known but until recently the trap’s speed remained a mystery. video embedded from North…