Sundew (Drosera)The Sundew (Drosera) is one of the most beautiful carnivorous plants — its leaves are covered in glistening, dew-tipped tentacles that sparkle like drops of morning dew. Those "dewdrops" are actually sticky digestive mucilage: when an insect lands, it sticks fast, and the leaf slowly curls around its catch. Sundews are tireless little hunters, especially of fungus gnats and fruit flies, and endlessly captivating to watch.The One Rule That Matters Most — water: Carnivorous plants evolved in nutrient-poor bogs and are extremely sensitive to the minerals in tap water, which will slowly kill them. Use only distilled, reverse-osmosis (RO), or collected rainwater, and keep the soil mineral-free (a peat/sphagnum mix, never regular potting soil or fertilizer).Care Basics: Sundews are wonderfully rewarding and many are beginner-friendly — give them bright light (a sunny windowsill or grow light), keep the mineral-free soil wet by standing the pot in a tray of RO or distilled water, and let them catch their own food. The more light they get, the more "dew" and the redder the coloration. If the dew vanishes after a move, good light brings it back within days.Many sundews (like the popular Cape sundew) grow year-round with no required dormancy, making them an easy, gorgeous introduction to carnivorous plants.A sparkling, gnat-catching jewel of a plant — easy to love and easy to grow with bright light and pure water.
