On Finnish bogs live silent carnivores – and they won’t avoid you

The Finnish bog is a mythical place. Traditionally, terrifying stories have been told about our bogs to ensure that children at least would not venture onto the bog – for they might sink into the swamp!

A hiker is safe on the bog as long as they stay on the marked nature trail. At the wettest spots of the bogs, wooden duckboards have been constructed, which are good and safe to walk on. Our bogs are also home to wild creatures, such as wolves, bears, and berry pickers guarding their best cloudberry spots. Wolves and bears usually avoid travelers long before the travelers even notice them, and encounters with berry pickers typically bring nothing but joy in form of a brief chat.

However, there is one creature living on our bogs that will not avoid you, no matter how close you get. And it feeds on flesh, which it acquires itself!

This is the genuine and true carnivorous plant of the northern hinterlands, the sundew.

This little flesh-craving predator grows up to a maximum of 20 centimeters (about 8 inches) in height. Its weapon is circular leaves, like round hands, which are filled with red hairs, and at the end of each hair glistens a drop of sticky mucilage. Unwary insects get stuck in these hairs, sealing their fate. The plant sucks them dry!

The more the insect struggles, the stronger it gets caught in the sundew’s sticky grip. A large insect can cause the sundew’s leaf to fold in like a clenching fist. The insect dies when the plant’s mucilage prevents it from breathing. Although it may sound unbelievable, the plant’s mucilage contains enzymes similar to those in the human stomach that digest food. The soft parts of the prey dissolve for the sundew to use, and once the insect has been sucked dry, the plant releases its dried-up remains to the wind and rain.

The sundew is an adaptable organism that is not easily startled. It can get by without animal nutrients, but the most successful predators grow larger and flower more abundantly. About one insect is caught as prey per month, so not every night does the sundew enjoy a full meal. It dines on mosquitoes as well as small dragonflies and butterflies!

A malicious person might try to trick the sundew. By poking the plant’s hairy leaf with, for example, a pine needle, one might trigger a reaction where the plant clenches its “hands” – or rather its leaves – into a fist. However, the plant is not dumb; it doesn’t start consuming the needle but soon realizes it has been tricked and opens its blades probably wondering who on earth wanted to tease it.

Sundews are quite easy to find when you take a trip to the bog. They live almost everywhere in Finland. Walk on the duckboards and observe the ground right at your feet or beside the duckboards. When you look closely enough, there is a pretty good chance you will find a sundew even over a short distance. Squint your eyes, as many sundews are really adorably tiny!