Bird or insect beside plant stem (9)
I believe the answer is:
cormorant
'bird' is the definition.
(I know that cormorant is a bird)
'insect beside plant stem' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'insect' could be 'ant' (ant is a kind of insect) and 'ant' is found within the answer.
'stem' could be 'corm' (corm is a kind of stem) and 'corm' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'or' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'or' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for cormorant that I've seen before include "Large, voracious seabird" , "Proverbially gluttonous seabird" , "18's [BIRD]" , "Diver" , "Large fishing bird" .)