In search of sundew.

Whilst most plants gain their nutrients from the soil via their roots, others have have evolved to obtain theirs from other sources -  consuming insects.
Such insectivorous plants are the staple of wildlife documentaries,  so it somewhat of a surprise to find they can be found only of couple of miles from Abingdon. 
Growing in the fen at Parsonage Moor nature reserve is sundew.  A fascinating plant that secretes a glue from tentacles on it's leaves, which intices insects (which are fooled into thinking it is nectar) but instead of feeding, the unfortunate insect is stuck to the leaves, which slowly fold in as the insect is digested.
Parsonage Moor is part of the Cothill Fens network of nature reserves which are fed by  a series of springs, these feed into the Ock via Sandford Brook.  And trying to locate such a small, scarce inconspicuous plant  in such an environment is somewhat of a challenge - the fen is covered with tall reeds in which there are small pools where the sundew grow:
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Although there are paths running through the fen, there is a risk of damaging the rare plants and insects which also inhabit the fen, as well as accidentally stumbling into some deep water or scaring the ponies which are used to graze the fen to control the scrub:
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Fortunately another site exists in Oxfordshire where finding and photographing these remarkable plants is a lot more straightforward - the  Oxford Universitry Botanic Gardens, where there is an entire greenhouse devoted to insectivorous plants, including Sundew:
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