How to Grow and Care for Bladderworts

Bladderwort is a submerged or free-floating, mat-forming carnivorous aquatic plant. It has no root system. Adapted to low-nutrient wetlands, it is found in lakes, on lake edges, and muddy disturbed sites in the lowlands. Bladderwort is classified as a potential specialist invasive species that can outcompete native bladderworts in lowland wetland ecosystems. It is now found in all continents except Antarctica.

Asian bladderwort is a sub-aquatic plant usually found in shallow pools and rocky creek beds. Instead of relying on photosynthesis, bladderworts actually digest small insects such as water fleas or aquatic worms.

Like all Utricularia species, Utricularia inflata is a carnivorous plant that traps small animals, especially tiny crustaceans. It's an aquatic species that doesn't have true roots, and it's found in environments such as ditches, swamps, and lakes. Unlike many carnivorous species, which are often endangered, swollen bladderwort is considered to be invasive.

American bladderwort (*Utricularia vulgaris*) is a free-floating carnivorous water plant that inhabits Europe and Western Asia. It does not anchor itself permanently in soil, and its branches die back in winter, leaving only a turion from which to grow the next spring. The eponymous bladders trap tiny invertebrates which can then be digested.

The zigzag bladderwort is a carnivorous plant with a unique appearance. This plant produces small yellow flowers on sandhills in coastal areas. They catch insects and other small invertebrates, like nematodes, in underground bladders.