The Bladderwort
   The Bladderwort is a carnivorous plant,which means it gets some of its food from animals, small fish, or insects it catches.
    The bladderwort family makes up 5 kinds of widely spread herbs. The most popular kind has about 275 different bladderworts found in tropical climates. Most bladderworts live in tropical climates, but some live in North America. It has a green stem and yellow flowers. It has many bladders attached to the stem under water. The Common Bladderwort has no roots, it just floats freely in ponds. You may ask how does it get its nutrients? The many bladders under water have many sensitive bristles on each bladder. When the bristles feel a bug or minnow brushing against it, it suddenly expands. Then it sucks the creature in and traps it. The food from the creature gives the bladderwort the nutrients that other plants get from roots. Therefore, this plant is a consumer and near the top of the pond food chain.
by Garret N.

This page was created by the Osseo-Fairchild sixth grade students supported by a Cluster A Goals 2000 Grant
Created 4/8/1999     Updated 4/8/1999    sdp

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