Hungry Plants - Mary Batten [0]
Congratulations! Your child is taking the first steps on an exciting journey. The destination? Independent reading!
STEP INTO READING® will help your child get there. The program offers five steps to reading success. Each step includes fun stories and colorful art. There are also Step into Reading Sticker Books, Step into Reading Math Readers, Step into Reading Write-In Readers, Step into Reading Phonics Readers, and Step into Reading Phonics First Steps! Boxed Sets—a complete literacy program with something for every child.
Learning to Read, Step by Step!
Ready to Read Preschool–Kindergarten
• big type and easy words • rhyme and rhythm • picture clues
For children who know the alphabet and are eager to begin reading.
Reading with Help Preschool–Grade 1
• basic vocabulary • short sentences • simple stories
For children who recognize familiar words and sound out new words with help.
Reading on Your Own Grades 1–3
• engaging characters • easy-to-follow plots • popular topics
For children who are ready to read on their own.
Reading Paragraphs Grades 2–3
• challenging vocabulary • short paragraphs • exciting stories
For newly independent readers who read simple sentences with confidence.
Ready for Chapters Grades 2–4
• chapters • longer paragraphs • full-color art
For children who want to take the plunge into chapter books but still like colorful pictures.
STEP INTO READING® is designed to give every child a successful reading experience. The grade levels are only guides. Children can progress through the steps at their own speed, developing confidence in their reading, no matter what their grade.
Remember, a lifetime love of reading starts with a single step!
To my sister Emma, who loves plants
—M.B.
For my daughters, Anna and Claire
—P.M.
Special thanks to Leo Song, Jr., Department of Biological Sciences Greenhouse Complex, California State University; Barry Meyers-Rice, Carnivorous Plant Newsletter; and Charles Clarke, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
1. Gotcha!
Everything is quiet in the bog. Or almost everything.
A tiny black fly buzzes around, looking for food. All of a sudden, it smells nectar, a sugary juice that plants make. The sweet smell is coming from a strange plant growing flat against the ground.
The fly lands near the plant and crawls toward a leaf. Closer, closer, closer.
SNAP!
The leaf slams shut, squishing the fly between two green walls.
The fly tries to get out but can’t. The fly will never escape. This plant will eat it alive!
How can a plant eat a fly?
It’s easy for the Venus flytrap.
The Venus flytrap is just one of more than six hundred kinds of plants that eat insects and other tiny animals. These plants are called carnivorous (kar-NIV-ur-us). This word means “meat-eating.” Carnivorous plants are the T. rexes of the plant world.
Eating bugs might seem like a strange thing for a plant to do. And it is. Most plants get everything they need to be healthy from sun, rain, and soil. But insect-eating plants grow in very poor soil. They make up for this by eating bugs. For these plants, eating bugs is like taking a vitamin pill.
Scientists say that insect-eating plants are very old. The first one appeared about sixty-five million years ago, around the time of the dinosaurs and long before there were any people on Earth.
We know about these old plants because just as there are dinosaur fossils, there are also plant fossils.
The oldest known carnivorous plant is Aldrovanda (al-dro-VAN-duh). Scientists have found fossils of its seeds.
Meat-eating plants hunt very differently than meat-eating animals.
Unlike animals, plants don’t have legs. So they can’t move around and hunt their prey like animals can. Plants don’t have claws and sharp teeth either. But they can still catch food.
How do they do it?
With tricks and traps.
2. Gulp!
Carnivorous plants have different kinds of traps. Some, like the Venus flytrap, are active. This means that part of the plant moves to catch its meal. The Venus flytrap is active because