Springboards and water slides – how pitcher plants trap insects
This event is part of the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition 2025.
Insects eat plants, but some plants have turned the tables. Carnivorous plants trap insects to supplement their nutrition, allowing them to thrive on nutrient-poor soils where few other plants can grow.
From flypapers and lobster pots to snapping jaws and pitfall traps - the sheer endless diversity of cunningly modified leaves prompted Charles Darwin to call carnivorous plants the “most wonderful plants in the world”. Step into the fascinating world of carnivorous plants and their insect prey with Dr Ulrike Bauer, Royal Society University Research Fellow at the University of Exeter. Find out about the latest surprising discoveries and unravelled previously unknown trapping mechanisms. This talk is a whistle-stop tour through 20 years of curiosity-driven exploration in lab and tropical field locations.
Attending the event
This talk will be held in the Dining Room on Saturday 5 July 2025, 3pm – 3.30pm.
- Free to attend, no ticket required
- The room has limited capacity, so we recommend that visitors arrive at least 10-15 minutes before the talk. We operate a first-come, first-served policy
- This talk will take place in person at the Royal Society and will also be livestreamed on the Royal Society YouTube channel
- Live subtitles will be available in-person and virtually
- Suitable for everyone
- Travel and accessibility information and details on planning your visit - contact us directly to arrange any specific accessibility requirements
- Food and drink will be available for purchase at our onsite café
For all enquiries, please email us.