Niyaz Huseynzade 
The Carnivorous plant has captivated the attention of many people due to its depictions in popular culture. However, you may not be aware of anything beyond what is seen in Little Shop of Horrors about them. A French video artist, Thomas Blanchard, is illuminating this sort of plant via timelapse macro photography. The Green Reapers is his most recent project and documents carnivorous plants in action and the butterfly lifecycle in incredible microscopic detail.
Blanchard began with the longest part of his project—time-lapses of the carnivorous plants—and shot it in 8K resolution over four months. He set his camera to take one photograph every seven minutes for three months. The hardest step in the project was catching sight of a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis (the transitional stage before it becomes an adult), which Blanchard captured on film. He stayed up all night, hoping he wouldn’t miss out on anything as it happened so quickly.
The result is a delightful look at a tiny world that pulsates with life. While only three minutes long, the piece features plenty of drama (in part due to the music); while snails crawl down leaves and meet their demise when they come into touch with one of the plants, venus flytraps open and close their mouths.
Blanchard’s work has been exhibited internationally, and it is well-known for magnifying the unseen changes in nature. His beautiful compilations on flowers, swirling liquids, and seasons have appeared worldwide. On Vimeo and Instagram, you may discover much more of his previous films.
