Mikinalo makes feast
of pesky flies

The Mikinalo, or sundew plant, is a small insectivorous plant (carnivorous, bug-eating plants) about 3 to 5 inches tall, and reddish-orange with small white flowers. The plant's distinguishing feature is its leaf blade, covered with short tentacles with tiny heads that secrete a sticky, glimmery fluid that attracts flies and other small insects.

HUI KU MAOLI OLA Sundew Plant / Drosera Anglica

Flies land, then adhere to the leaves, which then curl in, engulfing the insects. Digestive juices slowly break down the fly as the plant absorbs it until all that remains is an exoskeleton, hence the name mikinalo, which means "suck fly."

Distribution: This plant is found in bogs throughout the colder climates of the Northern Hemisphere. In Hawaii it is an indigenous plant found within Kauai's bogs. It is believed that this plant was brought to Hawaii embedded in mud on the feet of lesser golden plovers, which migrate annually between Hawaii and temperate regions such as Alaska.

Cultural use: There are no known cultural uses of this plant.

Garden use: I've only seen this plant kept alive in a terrarium with UV lighting. Its natural bog habitat is usually much cooler than most regions of Hawaii and might contain nutrients and oxygen levels difficult to replicate in a typical domestic landscape. It would be useful to have this plant, though, because there's no shortage of insect pests around most homes.