How do venus flytraps count before they snap shut?
The Plant That Counts
How do venus flytraps count before they snap shut?
A fly lands on a Venus flytrap's bright red leaf. The leaf has tiny trigger hairs sticking up like tripwires. The fly touches one hair. Nothing happens. The trap stays wide open, waiting. How does the plant know not to snap shut yet?
The Venus flytrap is counting. Plants don't have brains, but this one has a clever trick built into its leaves. Each time something touches a trigger hair, the leaf makes a tiny electrical charge — like a static shock, but much smaller. The plant "remembers" that charge for about twenty seconds.
