# Spoonleaf Sundew (*drosera intermedia*) The Spoonleaf Sundew is a fascinating plant that catches tiny bugs with its sticky leaves! Kids will love to learn how this plant eats insects to get nutrients from them. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger - **Snaps:** 9 - **Habitat:** Wetlands and boggy areas - **Also known as:** Drosera intermedia, Intermediate Sundew, Spoon-leaf Sundew ![Spoonleaf Sundew](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Drosera_intermedia_ne1.jpg&width=800) Photo: No machine-readable author provided. NoahElhardt assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 2.5 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drosera_intermedia_ne1.jpg) ## Appearance The Spoonleaf Sundew has small, spoon-shaped leaves arranged in a rosette, often tinged with striking red or orange hues. Its leaves are covered in glistening, clear sticky droplets that look like morning dew, designed to trap tiny insects. It produces tiny white or pale pink flowers on a slender stalk. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Caryophyllales - **Family:** Droseraceae - **Genus:** Drosera ## Interesting facts - It often grows right next to Sphagnum moss, which helps create its perfect wetland home! - Its name, Drosera, comes from a Greek word meaning 'dewy' because of its sparkling leaves! - Some sundews have been observed to move their sticky tentacles in just seconds to trap prey! - This amazing plant can actually live for many years, making it a long-lived bog resident! ## Special abilities - **Sticky Traps:** Spoonleaf Sundew can catch small insects using sticky, glistening dewdrops on its leaves that act like flypaper. - **Nutrient Power-Up:** Spoonleaf Sundew can digest its insect prey with special enzymes to get extra nutrients its boggy soil lacks. - **Leaf Hug:** Spoonleaf Sundew has leaves that can slowly curl inward, enveloping trapped insects to ensure a successful meal. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 2-10 cm - **Spread:** 3-8 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-0.8 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [fruit fly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/fruit-fly) (*Drosophila melanogaster*) — A common small insect that often becomes a meal. - **Pollinates:** honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — These insects help transfer pollen between flowers, aiding reproduction. - **Depends on:** prickly bog-moss (*Sphagnum cuspidatum*) — Often grows directly in dense mats of this moss for its acidic habitat. ## Traits - [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue. - [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. - [Endangered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/endangered): Endangered status indicates a species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Spoonleaf Sundew? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Spoonleaf Sundew? 2-10 cm ### How wide does Spoonleaf Sundew spread? 3-8 cm ### How big are the flowers on Spoonleaf Sundew? 0.5-0.8 cm ### When does Spoonleaf Sundew bloom? Summer ### Is Spoonleaf Sundew edible? No ### Is Spoonleaf Sundew toxic? None ### What is Spoonleaf Sundew's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Black Tern Bog State Natural Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/black-tern-bog-state-natural-area) — Wisconsin, US · State Park - [Camp Evans](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/camp-evans) — New Jersey, US · Historic Site - [Chesham](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/chesham) — New Hampshire, US · Historic District - [Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/long-island-aquarium-and-exhibition-center-new-york) — New York, US · Zoo - [Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/long-island-aquarium-and-exhibition-center) — New York, US · Aquarium - [East Home Avenue Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/east-home-avenue-historic-district) — South Carolina, US · Historic District [View all places to see Spoonleaf Sundew](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/spoonleaf-sundew) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Spoonleaf Sundew: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spoonleaf-sundew)