The Venus flytrap is the plant that catches its own dinner: paired lobes edged with lashes snap shut when an insect brushes the trigger hairs, then slowly digest the catch. Native to Carolina bogs, it is endlessly entertaining on a bright windowsill.

Grow it in nutrient-poor, acidic media like sphagnum peat, kept constantly moist with distilled water or rainwater only, since minerals in tap water build up in the soil. Give it strong light, let it rest over winter, and resist springing the traps for fun; each one only works a few times.