Sundew

I’d hoped for a decent sunrise but alas this never happened, so, after wiping the sleep from my eyes, decided to concentrate on a beautiful, though difficult to photograph, insectivorous plant, the common or round-leaved sundew.

There are 3 species in the UK, the aforementioned being the smallest and most common, the oblong or long-leaved and the great sundew.  All 3 are most common in northern England and Scotland though they are also found on southern heaths, notably the New Forest.

 Sundews are fascinating plants and have evolved their carnivorous behaviour in response to their habitat which is generally very acidic and poor in nutrients.  An insect such as a midge or fly is attracted by its bright colours but then gets stuck on its glue-like droplets at the end of its hair-like tendrils.  The sundew then, slowly curls and digests the softer parts of the insect letting the remainder fall to the side.  It gets its name by the dew-like droplets that glisten in the sun.

They are very easy to find at Hothfield Common and form splashes of vibrant red amongst the equally vibrant sphagnum moss.  But, to shoot the individual leaves you have to get really close.  Not just close, REALLY close.  The images here are uncropped and shot using a NIkon D300 with a 105mm micro lens at it’s closest focus (1:2 or half life-size) PN-11 (52.5mm) extension tube and Nikon 5T 2 element diopter close-up filter. Other than the image showing the full plant, I was only about 5 inches away.  This is when a sound technique really comes to the fore.  Don’t rush, take your time.  The plant isn’t going to run away!  Use a tripod, focus carefully, use mirror lock-up if you have it and use a remote release.  The tiniest amount of vibration or inaccurate focusing will show up hugely at such a high magnification. 

Tags: carniverous, close-up, common sundew, heath, heathland, hothfield common, insectiverous, macro, round-leaved sundew, sundew