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Fatal Attraction

Sid

By Sid

103 comments


Bzzzzzzz that looks a good place to land bzzzzzz…… Hmmmmm….what’s all this then? Bzzzz.

I spotted this fly exploring my Sarracenia ‘Stevenii’. He seemed absolutely engrossed and wandered about ‘tasting’ the plant with his probosis. He was so interested in the plant that he took no notice of me getting in close with the camera…..


Bzzzzzz- this plant tastes nice….bzzzz….ummmmm … bzzzzz …. tastes lovely …. bzzzzz ….

I had been wondering what those ridges were running up the front of the pitchers – I thought maybe they acted like buttresses, supporting the pitchers – but watching the way the fly explored the plant, I began to see that the ridges guided the fly upwards……

Bzzzzz….I like this plant – it tastes nice and is easy to climb about on….bzzzzides, there are no spiders on this plant……bzzzzzz…let’s explore a little further….bzzzzz…..I wonder what is at the top……… Oooo – what’s in here?

No flies were harmed in the making of this blog…somebody shot a duck, but that was all.

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Comments

 

Oh....Sid! Did it go in then? What a shame if it flew off!! lol If there were few insects would you have to feed it? Maybe tiny bits of catfood......YUK........ Great blog and very interesting....must be quite smelly though the plant so I'll enjoy reading about yours.....:o)

20 Mar, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

Hi Janey - no, it didn't fall in! I think it was a bit too big - would have choked my plant ha ha ha...... Don't know what would happen if there were no insects....but I don't think that's going to happen?! The plant doesn't smell. In fact, since I brought it home, it's defo my favourite plant at the moment - it's just so facinating to see how it works....I keep having to have a close look at it, peep inside the pitchers to see if it's caught anything and see the tiny little baby pitchers starting to grow up. :-)

20 Mar, 2009

 

Best place for a fly is in a blog,well done Sid on your patience and photography.....

20 Mar, 2009

 

excellent blog and congrats on your patience.

20 Mar, 2009

 

Wonderful Pics & Blog Sarah i hung on2 every Buuzzzzz lol :)

20 Mar, 2009

 

greatnphotos

20 Mar, 2009

 

Great blog and pics Sid.....pity he was too big to fit in the top. LOL.

20 Mar, 2009

 

Just the mental image of your plant spitting out the fly because it was too large to choke down gave me a marvellous laugh. Thanks for the cheering up! I needed it! : )

20 Mar, 2009

 

Great blog and photos, Sid! I hope the poor plant gets to eat soon, though. I am having a vision of you chasing around the garden catching flies - with your ruler at the ready to check the size of each fly! LOL!

21 Mar, 2009

 

Fun Sarah...will have to get larger to be able to eat bigger flies I guess...this one just got lucky...glad I'm not a fly...it would have to put out the scent of Sticky Toffee Pudding Ice cream to lure me in...lol..wonder what it smells like to the flys...something rotting? urgh...

21 Mar, 2009

 

Well photographed Sid...no flies on you ! Lol

21 Mar, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

Thanks for the nice - and entertaining - comments folks! The warm weather over the last few days has brought out a lot of insect life and I am pleased to report that my pitcher plants have fed very well! If all that protein goes into making the plants grow bigger, then they will be huge by the end of the summer.....I will have to keep a close eye on any small children that happen to visit the garden x-D

22 Mar, 2009

 

nice blog you should of knocked the fowl little beasty in lol.did you no unhamperd ,eaten or killed and given ideal conditions a pare of flies could make a ball the size of earth in one year so suport your local spider lol

24 Mar, 2009

 

flies like rotting flesh so not so good i doubt

24 Mar, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

There you go again with your interesting facts NP ;-)

24 Mar, 2009

 

im full of it sid lol i guess watching animal programs all my life paid of

25 Mar, 2009

 

Did you know that the blowfly larva (maggots) are being used in medicine today. In cases such as gangrene they apply the maggots to the wound....the maggots will only eat the rotten dying flesh and leave the healthy flesh alone. They are used to clean up nasty wounds like that.

25 Mar, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

Yes, I did know that Gilli - amazing isn't it. Would you mind? I'm not squeemish about maggots (was taken fishing from an early age and quite happy to put my hand in a container of maggots and put one on a hook) but I imagine the tickling would drive me mad!

25 Mar, 2009

 

they have a natural healing chemical to and they use leeches again for getting blood to a re atached limb

26 Mar, 2009

 

I don't think I would mind the maggots Sid. I think I'd be fascinated at what they were doing. Besides, better the maggots than the gangrene. I wonder if you would feel the tickling if the wound was that bad?
NP, I knew about the leeches too....My ex sister-in-law had them after some surgery which wasn't healing well. I think having leeches would bother me more than the maggots. Blech!!

26 Mar, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

I hope I never find out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

26 Mar, 2009

 

me to sid but we all realy would go for the cure.how many people do you know who like the dentist.id rather have the maggots and he leeches than that.i think you wouldnt realy feal either as its in there best interest not to be found bye the host.you cant even feal vampire bats either for the same reasen.the only bat in the world that can walk.

27 Mar, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

I'd be the hostess with the mostess ;-D

27 Mar, 2009

 

Me too Sid but interesting none the less.
I don't know about the bats but the leeches have an anaesthetic that makes it so you don't feel them. NO, not in little tiny syringes....something in their "saliva".

27 Mar, 2009

 

what spit lol and an anti coagulant excuse my spelling lol

27 Mar, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

Yes, I think the bats have anaesthetic spit too...

27 Mar, 2009

 

they dont want to kill there host either i guess theres a reasen for everything

28 Mar, 2009

 

Before I found help with my headaches..I had heard of a treatment where they put leeches at your temples to help the pain..I would have worn them like jewels if it would have helped..and in public too!

30 Mar, 2009

 

im with ya cat i wouldnt have a great big skull tattood on my head if i cared about people looking lol

30 Mar, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

Ewwwwww.......... Now come on folks - this is just getting nasty. So far on this blog/thread thingy we've had a ball of flies the size of the earth, maggots cleaning out wounds, gangreen, leeches, vampire bat spit and now we've got leeches hanging from your temples. WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE LIKE?! YUCK! x-D

30 Mar, 2009

 

wear just normal people sid arnt we ? lol

31 Mar, 2009

 

I'm normal.....at least that's what they tell me at the Loony bin!! LOL.

31 Mar, 2009

 

We are pretty...leeches are shiny...I love shiny things....especially on my head..... batting my one eyelash... ' :o) pretty....

31 Mar, 2009

 

im normal the voices told me so lol

31 Mar, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

Yes, must admit, we're normal; it's the rest of the planet that's potty. Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light and all that...

Cat - that's lovely dear...... stay right where you are and when a knock comes at the door, just go quietly with the nice men in white coats, there's a good girl......
<:-S

31 Mar, 2009

 

if being abnormal is having some ink under ya skin and thinking outside the box is my only problem then my consiance is clear lol

31 Mar, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

I think abnormal is wearing leeches on your temples NP LOL

1 Apr, 2009

 

realy lol

1 Apr, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

I'm wondering why Cat only has one eyelash.....accident with the BBQ ?

3 Apr, 2009

 

Maybe the leeches ate the rest of them?

3 Apr, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

It all seems a bit quiet on the Cat front - hope she didn't take my comment about the men in white coats to heart LOL

3 Apr, 2009

 

she is know more but there are a few very large leeches reported in her area lol

3 Apr, 2009

 

OMG.....Woman eating leeches on the loose.!!! What a horrible way to go.... :o(

4 Apr, 2009

 

sucked dry lol

4 Apr, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

...from the temples! x-D

4 Apr, 2009

 

Now come on...my leeches are very sweet...so relaxing just put me to sleep...a nice massage on the temples does it for me every time..
I like little men in white coats..I find them quite entertaining...no worries Sid..just busy finding more leeches to use..they get too full and I have to get some more..not easy to find here...

4 Apr, 2009

 

are you sure this is you cat and not a large inteligent leech lol

5 Apr, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

....giant-mind-control-leeches-from-outaspace...........

6 Apr, 2009

 

there the ones and they can wright our english to lol

6 Apr, 2009

 

Oooo. You have a point Sid. Mind controlling leeches. Of course!! Why else would Cat have them attached to her temples AND be seeking out more of them to feed?????

7 Apr, 2009

 

we should make a b movie gilli

7 Apr, 2009

 

mmmmmm Mind control leeches..naw...not that I have noticed...my mind seems to be the same as ever...I think...
But you may have a good movie idea here...lol...oops..darn ..silly leeches...just let go and hit the floor when they get full..come here my little love..lets put you in your jar ....you are so fat and shiny!..why,, you are just such a pretty pet.....come here Lilly leech mama needs another shiny jewel...mmm lets try one on this side today...oooooo!!! you do look very lovely there!...lalalalala..off to start my day...weeeeeeeeee!
I'm so pretty..I'm so pretty..I'm so pretty...!

7 Apr, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

.....I'm worried........................

7 Apr, 2009

 

psycho springs to mind lol with a mummer leech lol

7 Apr, 2009

 

It's going to be really easy to make this B movie NP. We will just have to follow Cj around with a camera for a few days. Easy peasy.
A new version of Psycho.....A psychotic woman stabs a giant leech in the shower while singing "I'm so pretty" from West Side Story.

8 Apr, 2009

 

brilliant gilli sounds like a cunning plan lol

8 Apr, 2009

 

hmmmm...could have made a movie of my sow bugs and centipedes I had to work through moving my husbands 20 year old pile of lumber...most of it cedar and it had been covered but by the time I got to the bottom of it...oh my...a brave new world existed there...all of it with multitudes of legs..looked a lot like NP's work ...
I ended up making a compost bin on site and letting the wood be compost ...should be good for Rhodies...in the future..!
Not sure where my leeches went...worked so hard...that day..sweated them right off in the compost I think...hmmm

14 Apr, 2009

 

Thank goodness the leeches have left.....I was worried they were sucking out your brains through your temples.....now don't go wearing centipedes and sow bugs Cat.....enough really is enough....GF really will be put off when he sees you if you have centipedes and sow bugs crawling through your hair.

14 Apr, 2009

 

and drowning in custerd dont forget gilli its inportent lol
they dont call me stig of the dump for nothing cat.centipedes are true veracious preditors you wouldnt want to meat its 12" cousin lol.maybe the leeches just exploded in a sea of custerd.

14 Apr, 2009

 

OMG Leigh.....I'd forgotten all about Stig of the Dump. I remember that book....haven't thought of that since I left England. LOL
Ewwww....exploding leeches in a sea of custard...that would make orange custard with black flecks. <:-(

14 Apr, 2009

 

sounds like a fitting end lol

14 Apr, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

Oh good lord - Cat found a Centibeast in her woodpile? I thought they only existed in the mind of NP/Stig and at paintballing places....scary. For some reason I'm not too bothered by animals that come with a multitude of legs......so long as there arn't eight of them. Six - fine. Ten - no probs. Eight - KEEP IT AWAY FROM ME!!! Weird that.....

15 Apr, 2009

 

lol they all have a place.trust me you would be better bumping into a tarantula than a giant centipede.

15 Apr, 2009

 

spiders are the enemy of my enemy , flies so there my friends lol

15 Apr, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

Ah yes. And so we have finally come full circle on this thread! Well done NP x-) Now, if you scroll right up to the top where the pictures are I think you'll find an ideal alternative to spiders!!!

16 Apr, 2009

 

The circle of life......There's a song about that

16 Apr, 2009

 

la la la lol

17 Apr, 2009

 

thats typical repeating what ive already said lol

17 Apr, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

Echo? Echo?

17 Apr, 2009

 

very good sid lol i am male give me a chance

17 Apr, 2009

 

"Little Sir Echo....How do you do?...."
Another song.....Hee hee hee

18 Apr, 2009

 

do you see what i see lol and another gilli hows the weather in your neck of the woods ?

18 Apr, 2009

 

I tried to do a blog of my woodpile work...but to no avail..pictures won't load..may try again later..
Sid I was packing boards all round with 8 leggeds on them..when I got worried that I might squish one..I waited to lift until I saw it jump off into the grass...why do the 8 leggeds frighten you so? Have you been bitten ...? Or maybe watched too me scary movies that make them out to be terrible things...LOL. I have one that has appeared on my living ceiling just lately...little squatter and I just painted it too...she is tiny and is funny to watch..I believe she is a jumping spider...does not seem to be spinning...she runs along with those funny legs and when she stops..she flattens out. I plan to move her outside..but have been so busy..have not had the time or the energy..and she is good for when I am exhausted and want nothing more than to stare at the ceiling for a bit...LOL

19 Apr, 2009

 

it is a jumping spider i think.you painted himblessthats not nice cat

19 Apr, 2009

 

Leigh..I painted the ceiling not her...lol..she waited around I believe for me to finish and for the paint to dry before deciding if she want the ceiling or not....she is a picky little squatting jumper...she will be moving out soon...lol..paper and cup..will do the trick...

19 Apr, 2009

 

ow i c lol i was gonna report you to the rspcs then lol.have you ever studied jumping spiders there amazing.have yours got stripes like he ones here .black and white ones.

19 Apr, 2009

 

no stripes that I saw as I let her jump into the bottle and I quickly covered it with paper...took her outside in the bottle little rascal jumped out so fast when I removed the paper did not know which way she went..hope she is not in my hair...hmmmmm...she was pretty little...cute little thing.

19 Apr, 2009

 

shs not interested in you .they are so cool when you see them checking out a jump and setting there selves up for it.id be spider man if i culd jump so well lol

19 Apr, 2009

 

You would?! Hey we got Spider Man here! WooHoo...NP is Spider Man...Hey...! Hey...! Don't be jumpin toward Sids plant..NP...!!

20 Apr, 2009

 

Some of our jumping spiders are black and white NP (aka Spider Man). Cat......you just got rid of the leeches....don't start with spiders, OK?

20 Apr, 2009

 

very good cat lol i think not with a walking stick.i cant even walk properly lol spider disabled man hasnt got the same ring to it.i wonder if your a super hero if you get a super form of arthritas lol.
this mite be the leech gilli be carefull.have you ever sean john carpenters "THE THING" lol

20 Apr, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

Hey you lot - no spiders allowed on my blogs! And certainly no spider-men / women either....

No, Cat, I've never been bitten by an eight-legger - never got close enough lol

20 Apr, 2009

 

I got bitten the other day. A spider got under my knee pads that I was wearing at work. I felt a pricking on my knee and thought it was just a twig that was caught under there. When I finally lifted the pad up, out fell a spider. I had eight bites and a perfect circle around my knee cap. LOL. Itchy!!

21 Apr, 2009

 

wouldnt you bite something so much bigger than you kneeling on you gilli lol

22 Apr, 2009

 

Poor thing it fought to the death I imagine going all round the edges trying to find a way out...sad...hmmmm..
Should have yanked yourself up and disrobed after the first twinge, Gilli...might have saved the poor little things life...

22 Apr, 2009

 

I would bite and scratch and punch NP.....LOL

Cat, believe it or not, the little thing was still alive when he fell out. He ran off and hid under the wood chips. So not necessary to disrobe.....that would probably have scared him to death!!

22 Apr, 2009

 

lol gilli bless i could add to your joke to cat but i dont like to offend lol.lets face it even if your petite ya still gonna be 1000000`s of times heavier i think its lucky the little blighter got a bight in lol .

22 Apr, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

I'm gunna have nightmares.......................... :-S

22 Apr, 2009

 

Oh Gilli..so glad he lived...I feel better now...made my day...better get back to cleaning out my kitchen drawers now...I wonder if a tourist would need this thing????How many times have I said that? Oh my goodness...I cannot just pack for a trip ..oh no and I can not just move out..oh no..I have to leave in what I think a tourist will be wanting around...arrrgh....hmmm..no Sid..will not be leaving spiders that I see...jar and paper take care of releasing them into the out of doors...no worries...

22 Apr, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

Just remember - tourists don't need spiders! - it might turn into that daft film Snakes on a Plane. But with spiders. Araknids on an Aeroplane? I need go sleep now...

22 Apr, 2009

 

gilli is a spider murderer lol

22 Apr, 2009

 

No no no no.....NP......REALLY!!! He's NOT dead.

btw.....Millions of times heavier?????? MILLIONS???? Well ! I never......tsk tsk tsk.......I would have been happier with hundreds of thousands.......hmmmmm

Cat......never mind if you don't leave everything a tourist will need. If they have to make do then too bad, so sad. Stop worrying.....everything will be fantastic.

23 Apr, 2009

 

that was a guess gilli but if it makes you feal better 100`s times better and you must be realy light as he lives lol .

23 Apr, 2009

 

Awwww.....now that's better NP......I feel positively skinny now. LOL.
Actually, with this new job, I'm losing weight because of all the lifting and digging and physical exercise. Yippee!!......I'll be nice and slim with a broken back and blown out knees...LOL.

24 Apr, 2009

 

i know the fealing gilli lol

24 Apr, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

Sounds like a good excuse to eat even more custard.....

24 Apr, 2009

 

with or without flies lol

24 Apr, 2009

 

flies definetly with flies...do they serve it that way over there NP? cuz...I will have double if they do..LOL...
Wish all my work was making me skinny ....I have sore back and sore knees...but not sure I am getting in all that great a shape ....
You need to rest now Sid...this spider thing has really worn you out!

25 Apr, 2009

 

ofcourse us english are mad cat.high in protien not as much as garden worms though lol.i feal for ya cat im acking everywear this arthrius is getting a grip of me .im supposed to rest my back for ever .ive got something called spondalytas but i cant do that.id go insane.

26 Apr, 2009

 

I hit the wall at about 4 or 5 p.m. and cannot do more..that's it..but I am a very ealry riser..awake by 4;30 a.m. every morning...up by 5 and moving by 6...I do go for a lot of hours...

26 Apr, 2009

 

wow do you just enjoy getting up early.i must admit im a bit of a night owl (lazy git) lol

26 Apr, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

Ooo - me too. I'll leave the night for the foxes n badgers n bats......I like my lovely warm cozy bed.... x-) 4:30am? Arh!

26 Apr, 2009

 

i agree sid as long as im up before dark lol

26 Apr, 2009

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