LESSON 5 · The Silent Intelligence of Plants
Speed Versus Patience
These traps split into two camps. Active hunters move: the flytrap snaps in a tenth of a second, and the bladderwort fires in under a millisecond.
Passive hunters simply wait. The sundew's glue and the pitcher's slippery tube need no motion at all; prey traps itself. Speed costs energy, so most carnivorous plants stay still and let the trap do the work.