How does it catch things ? Every carnivorous plant belongs to one of five mechanisms, and the mechanism is the one thing visible without knowing anything else about the plant. It is also nearly enough on its own.
Snap trap Two lobes that snap shut Hinged like a jaw and fringed with teeth along the edge. You will have seen one close, or seen a closed one. Pitfall trap A hollow vessel holding fluid A jug, an urn or a tube with liquid standing in the bottom. Nothing moves — the shape does all of the work. Flypaper trap Sticky leaves Glistening beads that never dry, or a surface faintly tacky to a fingertip. Insects stuck on it rather than in it. Bladder trap Tiny bladders on fine threads Under water or buried in wet media, a millimetre across at most. A hand lens helps; so does knowing they are there at all. Lobster-pot trap Corkscrew tubes running down into the soil Nothing above ground catches anything. What you see is a small rosette of plain leaves and, usually, a flower on a wire stem. None of these A real answer, and a more common one than you would think. There are three ordinary reasons for it.