Most plants spend their days quietly soaking up sunlight, water and nutrients from the soil.

Then there are the carnivores.

Hidden away in Kyalami is a rather unusual nursery where plants have developed some seriously clever ways to catch their dinner. Jozi Carnivores specialises in carnivorous plants, including the famous Venus flytrap, sundews and pitcher plants.

And yes, they really do eat insects.

Why would a plant need to eat a bug?

It sounds like something from a science-fiction film, but there is a very practical reason.

Many carnivorous plants naturally grow in places where the soil is nutrient-poor. Instead of relying entirely on the ground around their roots, they evolved traps that capture insects and other tiny prey and extract nutrients from them.

The result is one of nature's strangest survival strategies.

Meet the plant predators

The Venus flytrap

This is probably the plant most people imagine when they hear the words "carnivorous plant".

Its hinged leaves form a trap lined with tooth-like structures. When suitable prey triggers the sensitive hairs inside, the trap snaps shut.

It looks dramatic because it is.

The sundew

Sundews take a rather stickier approach.

Their leaves are covered with tiny tentacles that produce a glistening, sticky substance. An insect that lands on the leaf can become stuck, after which the plant's tentacles move towards the prey and help envelop it. Digestive enzymes then break down the soft tissues.

The pitcher plant

Instead of snapping shut or sticking insects to its leaves, the pitcher plant creates a trap that resembles a tiny cup.

Insects can be attracted towards the pitcher before slipping inside. The slippery interior and downward-pointing structures make escaping difficult, while digestive fluid helps break down the prey.

A little piece of the strange in Joburg

What makes this especially fun is that you do not have to travel to a tropical rainforest to see these plants.

Jozi Carnivores is based at Burghley Farms, 2 Huntsman Road, Kyalami, and its collection includes Venus flytraps, sundews, American trumpet pitchers and tropical pitcher plants. The nursery also offers workshops, build-a-bog activities, birthday parties and school programmes.

The nursery says its plants are propagated through methods including tissue culture, root division and seed, and that it strongly opposes collecting carnivorous plants from the wild.

That makes this more than just a place to buy an unusual houseplant. It is a chance to see a fascinating example of how plants have adapted to survive.

Would you keep one at home?

If you are tempted, remember that carnivorous plants are not ordinary pot plants.

They have specific growing requirements, and some need particular types of water, light and growing medium. Jozi Carnivores provides care information and advice to help new growers get it right.

So the next time you see an innocent-looking plant sitting quietly on a windowsill, spare a thought for its more sinister cousins.

Some plants make their own food.

Some plants catch theirs.

And one of Joburg's most unusual little gardens is right here in Kyalami.

Discover it

Jozi Carnivores

Burghley Farms
2 Huntsman Road, Kyalami, Midrand
Carnivorous plants, workshops and educational experiences