#nepenthes

when I was in college in botany classes we talked about ‘cheap’ vs ‘expensive’ leaves and how some leaves are grown to be shed at the end of the fall and some leaves have a lot more resources invested and are meant to last years and then I think about the Doohicky of leaves, the Asian pitcher plant carnivorous leaves that have all the bells and whistles…..the shit has glands secreting digestive enzymes in the bottom and slippery teeth on the top and wax crystals lining the inside so insects can’t climb out….fangs on the top lid and hairs on the outside and mottled special colorization….some of them are woody or otherwise reinforced and take years to make… local guy in rural sumatra forced to make elaborate luxury saw traps by hand every single day of his life, it is the only way he can live,