The bonfire burned for three consecutive nights, and almost all the phototactic flying insects near the Vine Tribe were burned.
Thanks to the efforts of people and various frogs, most of the wingless bugs have also been eliminated.
The insect plague gradually subsided, and the crops in the fields were preserved and continued to grow.
But Jiang Xuan knew very well that relying on campfires to exterminate pests was only a temporary measure. If he wanted to eliminate pests in a long-term and effective way, he must find other ways.
The insecticide was too complicated and Jiang Xuan couldn't get it, so he had to give up.
He thought about it but couldn't think of any good solution.
Until one day, he discovered a dozen very special plants in a bush in an open field.
This is a kind of grass that looks like a purple gourd. They are about half a meter tall and are purple-red in color. Their plump abdomen contains a liquid, but the opening at the top is very narrow. The outer skin and leaves are smooth and tough.
After getting closer, you can clearly smell the sweet fragrance of this grass, which attracts many bugs to wander nearby.
"Poof!"
When a flying insect flew over it, the plant's abdomen suddenly contracted. The strong pressure instantly sprayed out the liquid in the plant's abdomen. After passing through the small opening at the top, the liquid flew very high and hit the plant directly.
That flying insect.
The liquid was very viscous. After the flying insect was sprayed, its wings were stuck and could no longer flap. After struggling for a few times, it fell to the ground.
The flying insect struggled on the ground a few more times, and then countless roots emerged from the ground, entangled the flying insect, and tied it tighter and tighter until the flying insect could no longer move.
This flying insect will soon become the food for these magical plants, allowing these plants to grow better.
Jiang Xuan carefully watched the process of the plant catching insects, and he said in surprise: "What kind of plant is this? It's so good at catching insects!"
Jiang Xuan observed it for a while, then dug up a plant and took it back to ask about the red peony root.
"This is called water arrowhead."
Chi Shao took the plant and looked at it briefly, and then she knew what kind of plant it was.
Red peony pointed to the belly of the plant and said: "When this kind of grass encounters insects, its belly will shrink and then spray water, just like shooting arrows to shoot down the insects, so we call it water arrow grass." p>
"Where did you find it?"
Jiang Xuan replied: "There were more than a dozen plants growing in the uncultivated wasteland. When I went over, I happened to see it shoot down a bug, so I dug one up and brought it back."
Chi Shao returned the water arrow to Jiang Xuan: "Water arrow is a good thing. Dig out the roots, dry them and grind them into powder. It can treat wounds."
"It turns out it's a herbal medicine." Jiang Xuan was surprised by this magical grass.
"Many plants are herbal medicines. Knowing more about them can save your life in critical moments."
"This is what the people in the hunting team told me."
Chi Shao's expression was a little gloomy, obviously thinking of the destroyed Deer Tribe.
Jiang Xuan patted Chi Shao on the shoulder with an encouraging look in his eyes.
"I'm fine."
Chi Shao smiled at him, her eyes becoming firm again.
She has a strong ability to regulate emotions and rarely shows her vulnerable side in front of others.
"I plan to plant a row of arrowroot in the middle of each vegetable patch."
Jiang Xuan expressed his thoughts: "I have thought about it carefully these days. In order to get a good harvest from the crops in the field, pest control is one of the things that must be done."
"One way to get rid of insects is to dig more ponds. There will be a lot of frogs gathering around the ponds, and they will eat a lot of insects."
"Another method is to plant various plants in the ground that can actively capture insects, like water arrowheads."
"With these plants, bugs will be attracted to them and eat them as long as they get close to the ground, so our crops can grow safely."
"In addition to eating insects, these plants can also be used as medicine. They can be collected directly when needed, killing two birds with one stone."
After listening to Jiang Xuan's words, Chi Shao's eyes suddenly lit up.
Jiang Xuan's plan sounds very good and is relatively feasible.
Plants that eat insects usually emit a strong fragrance to attract insects, which is much more attractive than crops in the field.
Using these plants to deal with bugs can perfectly solve the problem of bugs eating crops.
"Sister, can you take me to find these insect-eating plants?"
"Of course. There are not many such plants in the jungle. I just usually focus on hunting and don't go out to find them."
"Okay, let's go into the mountains tomorrow, call the loaches, and dig out some insect-eating plants to plant."
After Jiang Xuan and Chi Shao discussed going into the mountains tomorrow, they planted the water arrow plant, which had become weak due to being dug up, in an open space in front of the bamboo house.
A night without words.
Early the next morning, Jiang Xuan, Chi Shao, and Shi Loach brought their tools and entered the vast jungle.
The jungle in summer is very vibrant. Various plants grow crazily in the jungle, and various animals are also very active.
"Cuckoo..."
A big bird, after meeting a person, ran away quickly with its long legs.
This is a flightless bird. Because its feathers have large red markings, the tribesmen call it the red-spotted bird.
The wings of the red-spotted bird are very small, but its legs are very strong. It can run very fast and walk like flying in the jungle.
"The red-spotted bird is very suitable for breeding. If the crops planted by the tribe can achieve a good harvest and there is surplus food, domesticating the red-spotted bird is a good choice."
The red-spotted bird that ran away didn't know that it, including its kind, had been targeted by Jiang Xuan.
Red Shao and Stone Loach took a few more glances at the red-spotted bird. Although they didn't know how to domesticate it, they became very interested in it.
Compared to farming, tribal people still prefer to deal with wild animals and birds.
The three of them continued to move forward, and Chi Shao went specifically to a relatively low-lying, moist place.
As Chi Shao walked, he explained to Jiang Xuan: "The wetter the place, the more bugs there are, and there are more plants that eat bugs."
Jiang Xuan nodded. He knew that the larvae of many flying insects grow in the water. When they grow up, they will climb ashore, turn into cocoons, and grow wings.
The three of them walked for a long time and came to a shallow wild pond.
Chi Shao's eyes searched nearby for a moment, and then locked on a plant.
"Found it, Bamboo Grass."
Jiang Xuan followed her gaze and saw a strange plant. There were about twenty or thirty plants growing crowded together.
This plant is very peculiar. It grows straight, with a leaf on each node. These leaves are curled and shaped like a bamboo tube.
When the wind blows, these plants sway with the wind, and the bamboo tube-shaped leaves occasionally collide and make a slight sound.
"No wonder it's called Bamboo Grass."
Jiang Xuan suddenly realized that this name is really vivid.
Jiang Xuan asked curiously: "Can this bamboo tube grass also catch insects?"
"Yes!" Chi Shao pointed at one of the bamboo tube grasses and said, "Look."
Jiang Xuan looked at the bamboo grass and found a flying insect hovering above the bamboo grass.
"Buzz buzz..."
The flying insect gradually approached the bamboo tube grass and flew into the "bamboo tube", greedily sucking the sweet honey secreted on the inner wall.
"Pa!"
Suddenly, there was a cover on the "bamboo tube", trapping the flying insect inside. When the flying insect wanted to escape, it was already too late.
It turns out that there is another leaf on the upper part of the tube-shaped leaves of bamboo tube grass, which is usually tightly attached to the "bamboo tube" and cannot be seen without looking carefully.
When an insect is attracted by the sweet juice and enters the bamboo tube, the leaves will quickly close like a tight lid, trapping the insect inside.
Not only that, the leaves of the bamboo tube grass will continue to roll inward until the insects are completely trapped, and then the insects will be slowly corroded and dissolved through the secreted juice, and finally become the nutrients of the bamboo tube grass.
"What a powerful bamboo grass!"
Jiang Xuan witnessed the scene of bamboo tube grass preying on insects with his own eyes, and felt that it was an eye-opener.
At the same time, he decided to dig up the bamboo tube grass and plant it in cultivated land like water arrowhead to catch insects and protect crops.