Pinguicula vulgaris, the common butterwort, is a perennial
carnivorous plant in the
Lentibulariaceae family. It has a generally
circumboreal distribution, being native to almost every country in Europe as well as Russia, Canada and the United States. Growing to a height of 3 to 16 centimetres (1.2 to 6.3 inches), it is topped with a purple and occasionally white funnel-shaped flower that is 15 millimetres (0.59
in) or longer. The plant, which is
insectivorous, grows in damp environments such as bogs and swamps, in low or subalpine elevations. Its leaves have glands that excrete a sticky fluid that traps insects to its leaves; its glands also produce digestive enzymes that work to consume the insects externally. This
P. vulgaris flower was photographed in
Keila, Estonia.
Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus
