Venus flytraps nab their insect prey by snapping shut in response to pressure from little bug feet. Now, researchers have discovered the chemicals that protect the carnivorous plant from false alarms.

The Venus flytrap doesn’t snap shut randomly. It requires two separate touches of its sensory hairs within a 30-second window ...

As far as plants go, Venus flytraps are pretty hardcore. After attracting its prey with a fruity scent and trapping it inside its leaves, the flytrap slowly digests the insect for 5 to 12 days, ...

Only two—the Venus flytrap and the European waterwheel, Aldrovanda vesiculosa —have snap traps with hinged leaves that snag insects. They evolved from simpler carnivorous plants about 65 million years ...

CONWAY — Venus flytraps don’t usually trap flies at all, Jim Luken, a botanist and retired biology professor, said. Flying insects are attracted to the plants’ flowers, which sit high above the iconic ...