Venus flytrap leaves. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of spiny leaf traps from a Venus flytrap plant (Dionaea muscipula). A winged insect is trapped in the leaf in the background. The leaf spines (also seen on the edge of the foreground leaf) interlock on the closed trap, preventing the insect from escaping. The Venus flytrap plant is carnivorous, trapping insects in its hinged and two-lobed leaf traps. Touch-sensitive hairs on the leaf's inner surface are triggered when an insect lands in the trap, causing the leaf to close. The insect is digested by enzymes, providing the plant with nutrients not found in the swamps where it grows. Magnification: x12 when printed 10cm high.