Nepenthes alata

Native to Luzon in the Philippines, this tropical climbing shrub grows in humid forests. Its pitchers develop at the ends of leaf tendrils and are modified leaves, separate from the true flowers. Small animals fall into the liquid-filled traps, where digestive enzymes break down their tissues. The plant absorbs nutrients from its prey, supplementing those available from the soil. The lower pitchers have prominent fringed wings along their fronts, while climbing shoots produce pitchers adapted to hanging above the ground. Photographed in Colombia.