Cape Cod Museum of Natural History presents A PBS Documentary Film “Plants Behaving Badly”

Narrated by David Attenborough, Plants Behaving Badly focuses on two groups of plants that exhibit such intriguing behavior that a century and a half ago attracted the attention of Charles Darwin. These same plants, the orchids and the carnivorous plants, still fascinate scientists today. In two, one-hour films, ‘Plants Behaving Badly’ reveal a world of deceit and treachery worthy of any fictional thriller.

Part 1: CARNIVOROUS PLANTS ~ 1pm
Scientists have recently shown that many more plants are carnivorous than we had ever thought. Welcome to the world of killer tomatoes and murderous potatoes. Even the more well-known carnivorous plants - sundews, flytraps, and pitchers - are revealing new behavior.

Part 2: ORCHIDS ~ 2:30pm
Darwin's book 'On the Origin of Species' shook the scientific world and far beyond. Yet it was his next book, devoted entirely to orchids, which filled in gaps and clarified his revolutionary ideas. Orchids have an ethereal beauty, whether growing hundreds of feet up in a misty rainforest or along the edges of busy suburban roads. Using sex as a lure by impersonating a female bee or wasp, their exotic flowers are shaped for just one purpose - to seduce pollinators.