Carnivorous Plants 2: Round-leaved Sundew

On the hillside above Tunstall reservoir in Weardale there's a patch of ground that's always wet, even during a drought, where a spring trickles out of the ground. It's home to a collection of bog plants that include tiny round-leaved sundew Drosera rotundifolia which grows amongst the Sphagnum moss shoots. You need to get down on your hands and knees to examine these plants, whose leaves protrude from the Sphagnum like bejewelled, beckoning hands tempting small insects to make the fatal mistake of landing on their glistening tentacles. It's well worth suffering wet knees to appreciate their sinister beauty.

You can find more on larger, more exotic sundew species by clicking here.