Inside The Pitcher!

             

My American Pitcher plants have come out of winter dormancy and are quickly growing new leaves/pitchers.  They are already taller than last year!  I was cleaning up the plants and removed this old pitcher from Sarracenia (Leucophylla "Red") X (Minor giant).

The pitcher plant lures insects with nectar and scent, and then the insect is trapped by slippery surfaces and downward-pointing hairs. The plant secretes digestive enzymes into the pitcher, which liquefy the insect and allow the plant to absorb the nutrients.

I was curious as to what the inside looked like.  So I made a cut, the length of the pitcher and opened it up.

The insects exoskeletons are what remain inside the pitcher.

People ask me if I need to feed my carnivorous plants, but as you can see they do fine on their own.