How do plants get food?

Unlike animals, plants produce their own food and except for a few carnivorous plants, do not eat other organisms. Green plants use water, nutrients, and a green matter in their leaves called ‘chlorophyll’ to produce their food. Normally water and nutrients are absorbed from the ground through their roots. Some plants, however, have developed other methods for obtaining water and nutrients. Many tree-dwelling plants make funnel-shaped ‘containers’ with their leaves to catch water. Carnivorous plants use their digestive juices to convert the insects, caught in their folding or sticky traps, into nutrients.