Plant eats a bird

[acooling08]

Say whaaaaat?

Killer plant 'eats' blue tit at Somerset nursery

A killer plant has killed and "eaten" a blue tit at a garden nursery in Somerset.

Nurseryman Nigel Hewitt-Cooper from West Pennard discovered one of his pitcher plants had captured the bird while inspecting his tropical garden.

He said he was "absolutely staggered" to find it had caught the creature.

It is believed to be only the second time such a carnivorous plant has been documented eating a bird anywhere in the world.

"I've got a friend who's studied these particular plants extensively in the wild and he's never found evidence of any of them having caught birds," said Mr Hewitt-Cooper.

"The other documented time was in Germany a few years ago and that was in cultivation, not in the wild."

'Become wedged'

"The larger ones frequently take frogs, lizards and mice, and the biggest ones have been found with rats in them, but to find a bird in one is pretty unusual."

The pitcher plant is a genus of Nepenthes from South East Asia which attracts and traps insects in a pool of liquid which it then digests.

Mr Hewitt-Cooper said he thought the blue tit had been attracted to the plant on Saturday by the insects and landed on its leaf.

"I think it must have leant in to pluck out an insect that was floating on the fluid inside, tipped in too far and become wedged and unable to get out."

Mr Hewitt-Cooper has been growing carnivorous plants such as pitcher plants, Venus fly traps and sundews for 30 years, and has won several gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show.

[Bellend Sebastian]

Yet when I eat a whole roast chicken, no-one bats an eyelid.

As usual, it's one rule for bird eating plants, another rule for.....etc

[Dr The Singh]

Aslong as it only eats blue tits and not women's tits, its ok by me!!

[Yojoe36]

But your hand in it. I DARE YOU!!

[Zingari]

does anyone else see this picture of a poor little cock's plight as a metaphor for life ?

[Wherethefoxhat?]

I just knew Robert & Alison were very good friends ..

[Houdini Logic]

does anyone else see this picture of a poor little cock's plight as a metaphor for life ?

It doesn't matter how pretty, cute and content you are, there's always a hench plant round the corner that can dissolve you alive

[Guest Bilo]

Is it bad that my first reaction to that photo was to go NOM NOM NOM NOM in my head?

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

Hmm! I think I will send Nick a giant Pitcher plant.

[goose2010]

Is it bad that my first reaction to that photo was to go NOM NOM NOM NOM in my head?

exactly the same!