WHILE the weather recently has produced some of the most stunning displays of natural beauty, it has to be said that for many people the icy roads and freezing mornings can become a bit tedious. The warmer days of summer seem a lifetime away.

Although a walk across the district's heaths may be my ideal day out, at this time of year it isn't for everyone.

However, if you were to travel further afield to Borneo or Amazonia you could take a walk through a very different type of heath - the heath forest.

In much the same way as our heathland plants rely on sandy, nutrient deficient soil, these regions of tropical rainforest have developed along very similar lines.

The trees and shrubs are shorter than those in other rain forests. Most have shallow root systems to gather any nutrients in the form of rotting leaf-litter first, and many plants have long spines to protect them from animal attack.

These adaptations are relatively common and a wander around any of our heaths will give examples of dwarf trees or spiny gorse and hawthorn. However, in the heath forests, or keranga, as they are known in Borneo, there are much more astounding survival adaptations.

One which most people are familiar with is the carnivorous plant, an example being the pitcher plant. This plant puts out tendril-like growths, which develop into vase-shaped structures or pitchers.

These pitchers are filled with digestive enzymes and have either sweet or foul-smelling odours. These smells attract the plant's potential food source. The plant survives by attracting insects rather than struggling to extract nutrients from the sandy soil.

The insects land on the rim of the pitcher to investigate the smell, but one step towards the centre and the slippery sides send them plummeting down into the digestive juices.

The wet insect would find it difficult enough to clamber out of the pitcher, but the sides are also lined with ridged, downward pointing hairs. As the insect is digested, it offers up essential nutrients, which the plant then absorbs.

There is a twist to this tale, as is usually the way with evolution.

Several insects have evolved to take advantage of this environment.

Aquatic mosquito larvae are commonly found living in the corrosive solution within the pitchers, living free from many of the predators that would threaten them if they lived in a pool.

Apparently, in one pitcher alone up to 27 species of insect have been found.