Trap Growth?

[neon-eon]

All my VFT's are adults, yet the traps they are producing this summer are still extremley tiny...it's like they're still coming out of dormancy or something...we had a really hot May, and now we're having a really cool June with temps averaging in the 60's during the day. I'm wondering if that may be the cause of it? the biggest traps are about a third of an inch in length, and the smallest are about a centimeter. Last year, when I got them in early October, most of the traps were just over an inch...does anybody know why my traps are so small?

 

[Ridetsu]

hey man - its not the size of the trap, its what you do with it!

okay, just kidding.. but in all fairness, adaptation may have played a part in it. Why have huge traps if the huge traps won't trap a common smaller insect? Maybe the plant, last year, felt the presence of smaller prey that wouldn't set off the larger traps (waste of energy), so this year it will try using smaller traps to get the more common insect.

It may also be a lack of sunlight? or maybe its cuz you live in Portland (i'm from Eugene!)

 

[Clint]

That's just what people with small traps say.

 

[neon-eon]

lol,hmm...maybe...I got them late last year, and in truth, they really didn't catch a whole lot.I just thought they'd be a little bigger by now though...

 

[Ridetsu]

That's just what people with small traps say.

oooh, sic burn, hehe.

Well, they don't always grow in size year to year. I'v studied a lot of science on the human body and studied alot about adaptation/evolution. Simply put, is this theory:
"If one way doesn't work, try another."

With the VFT, it takes a certain size prey to activate the trap - they can feel smaller insects and larger insects, and are able to distinguish amongst them which is edible and worthwhile. If no larger insects trampled through, then they would know that getting larger may not work too well. But if, say, hundreds of ear-wigs or pill-bugs strolled through their massive traps without worry, it would adapt to that situation by creating a smaller trap to catch the more copious prey.
If you put a lot of energy into something, you expect something back from it, or you won't keep doing it. If big traps were never fed - don't expect big traps to be used again.

that's just my thought process though... i mightbe crazy and not know what i'm talking about :3

 

[BigCarnivourKid]

lol,hmm...maybe...I got them late last year, and in truth, they really didn't catch a whole lot.I just thought they'd be a little bigger by now though...

That might be the answer there. Poor bugger's undernourished and only has enough strength for small traps right now.