# The Pitcher Plant; The Fly‑catcher explained — How to Tell the Birds from the Flowers and Other Woodcuts

> Chapter companion for How to Tell the Birds from the Flowers and Other Woodcuts by Robert Williams Wood.

## What happens

This chapter humorously redefines the Pitcher Plant as a baseball pitcher and the Fly-catcher as a baseball catcher, playing on the double meanings of their names to create a whimsical analogy between botany and baseball.

## Themes in this chapter

### Wordplay and Homophones

The chapter relies on the double meanings of 'pitcher' (a container vs. a baseball player) and 'fly-catcher' (a plant vs. a baseball catcher) to create a humorous botanical-baseball crossover.

### Humor and Absurdity

The absurd premise of treating a pitcher plant as a baseball pitcher and a fly-catcher as a catcher generates playful, nonsensical humor.

## Character check-ins

### the Birds

Implied as participants in the baseball analogy, with the Pitcher Plant and Fly-catcher standing in for bird-like players.

## Key lines

> The Pitcher Plant we may define, The flower of the base‑ball nine;

We can describe the Pitcher Plant as the blossom of a baseball team.

_Establishes the central pun: the pitcher plant as a baseball pitcher._

> The “Fly”-Catcher we educate To firmly stand behind the plate, To stop, and treat with circumspection, Whatever comes in his direction.

We teach the Fly-catcher to stand solidly behind home plate, carefully handling anything that comes its way.

_Extends the baseball metaphor to the fly-catcher as a catcher._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/how_to_tell_the_birds_from_the_flowers_and_other_se/chapters/the-pitcher-plant-the-fly-catcher
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/how_to_tell_the_birds_from_the_flowers_and_other_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/how_to_tell_the_birds_from_the_flowers_and_other_se/chapters