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Friday, 01 September 2006 |
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| Tropical Breeze photo by Sue Suby |
Meeting Of Three Predators
A paper wasp perches on the lip of a pitcher plant’s pitcher, which holds a small tree frog whose eyes are just visible. All three are carnivorous predators that consume insects. The
frog is staying out of range of the wasp’s stinger and made no attempt to eat the wasp.
Although it is unlikely the wasp would try to eat the frog, wasps are known to consume frog
eggs. The paper wasp generally is not aggressive toward humans when left alone. It builds a distinctive “paper” home of masticated wood pulp, usually in a sheltered area.
The frog
was living in this pitcher plant, moving from pitcher to pitcher, apparently harvesting free
meals while avoiding being consumed itself. The pitcher plant attracts insects with sweet secretions, digesting them in its pitchers. The pitcher’s lid does not snap closed as some
carnivorous plants do, but acts as an umbrella to keep the pitcher from being overfilled in
a rain. Pitcher plants are tropicals that can be raised in Florida, but do not tolerate temperatures that even approach frost range.
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