Plot Synopsis

Narrated by David Attenborough, PLANTS BEHAVING BADLY is a two-part, documentary series that takes an in-depth look at the intriguing behavior of orchids and carnivorous plants, revealing a world of deceit and treachery.

The first installment, "Murder & Mayhem," examines the extraordinary behavior of carnivorous plants, which have been a feature of many a sci-fi film over the years. The reality turns out to be far stranger than the fiction. 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. Pitcher plants sometimes need to form partnerships with insects. Mosquito larvae live inside North American pitchers, where they break up drowned prey and help the plant digest it. But in Borneo, one giant pitcher has formed a remarkable relationship with a single species of ant. The pitcher has swollen tendrils, to house the ants. The ants dive into the pitcher fluid to retrieve drowned insects to feed on -- but in tearing these up they also help the plant digest the prey. Carnivorous plants have featured in many sci-fi films over the years, but the reality turns out to be far stranger than the fiction.

Then, the finale, "Sex & Lies," revels in the ethereal beauty of orchids and examine their exotic flowers, which are shaped for one purpose -- to attract pollinators. Many use sex as a lure, impersonating a female bee or wasp. Orchids produce thousands of seeds, which are so small that they contain no food reserves. They can only germinate with the help of specific fungi in the soil. In the past, this made orchids hard to grow from seed, a problem now solved by hi-tech laboratories. This means that some of the rarest plants can be re-introduced to old haunts but these projects are carried out in such secrecy, it's like something from a spy movie.