FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

our kid getting into carnivorous plants got me hooked about as quick as getting them home, I was never much for wanting to grow any houseplants at all -- food stuff? sure but just "for fun" nah.

the plants have become a moment of zen daily at least a few times a day through either checking them out, charting progress/new things with kids and photographing them.

riveraXVX wrote:our kid getting into carnivorous plants got me hooked about as quick as getting them home, I was never much for wanting to grow any houseplants at all -- food stuff? sure but just "for fun" nah.

the plants have become a moment of zen daily at least a few times a day through either checking them out, charting progress/new things with kids and photographing them.

Yes I agree completely. It's dormancy but I see every little bit of growth because of how much I check

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Could always create a mini peat bog refuge in your yard or a large container (if you don't have a yard) and fill it with flytraps and other carnivorous plants. Kind of like the Japanese with their little garden oasis of bamboo, koi ponds, and bonsai trees in the middle of a bustling city. Don't need hundreds of acres to get the "zen" experience of being in nature.

Yeah, I was thinking it would be nice if more residents of north Carolina did that

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I think restocking the land with fly traps is an awesome idea but not realistic. I live in NC also and I am very disturbed by the accelerated development here. They are draining wetlands, bringing in mountains of fill dirt, bulldozing everything flat and concrete on top. I just rescued 3 types of NC sundews from my favorite bog that was being destroyed by the a new Publix grocery store. I felt I was in a moral dilemna, but I saved those sundews and soon they will be available as seed in the ftc seed bank.

In early 2006 taking a venus fly trap from the wild in NC became a felony, with 2 years and $2000 fine for each plant. North American Ginseng is also illegal to take. I am inclined to believe its ok to take a leaf pull or some seeds but I wouldn't take the plant. Someone said it wouldn't stay alive anyway. That has been my experience as well, trying to take dogwood trees from the woods. They are wild and need to stay there.

I think Hollyhock said propogating the fly trap is the best way to save the plant for the future. We are destroying the fly traps natural environment and even if we tossed out seeds, they wouldn't survive with all the fertilizers in the water today. although, in the wild, It is inspiring to see local populations colonized an area if they are left alone.

Sadly, even Rehder gardens gets poached. I have taken a lot of pictures there and you know when nice fly traps have been taken. I noticed the last time that a bunch of huge vfts were taken. But that said, Riviera said it, there is so much development around rehder gardens that runoff is killing off a large section, especially yellow pitcher plants.

vfts are native to NC and SC because of all the pocosins we have. I'm not sure if they are left over from prehistoric times, but they are very unique environments that vfts and other cps live in. there is no nutrients in the soil or water. and with development, we are destroying the pocosin areas that are not protected.

As for NC vfts, Matt has a Carolina Red Traps and also this Spring Leah said Matt would have the Rehder Giant ready to sell. if you want some NC fly traps, go for those. There are other fly traps out there but idk about buying them. I have seen some Carolina Beach State Park, Green Swamp and Orton Plantation out there.

I think making a Zen Bog in your yard would be awesome. also it would be cool if you could get a cp club or local cp community garden going.

I live close to Wilmington NC. I'm 5 minutes from Holly Shelter Game Preserves where guys were caught in 2005 poaching 1000 fly traps. and umm you know somethings not right when you go in a Beach Tourist Shop that "gives" you a vft with purchase.

Fly Trap Hunter wrote:

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I think restocking the land with fly traps is an awesome idea but not realistic. I live in NC also and I am very disturbed by the accelerated development here. They are draining wetlands, bringing in mountains of fill dirt, bulldozing everything flat and concrete on top. I just rescued 3 types of NC sundews from my favorite bog that was being destroyed by the a new Publix grocery store. I felt I was in a moral dilemna, but I saved those sundews and soon they will be available as seed in the ftc seed bank.

In early 2006 taking a venus fly trap from the wild in NC became a felony, with 2 years and $2000 fine for each plant. North American Ginseng is also illegal to take. I am inclined to believe its ok to take a leaf pull or some seeds but I wouldn't take the plant. Someone said it wouldn't stay alive anyway. That has been my experience as well, trying to take dogwood trees from the woods. They are wild and need to stay there.

I think Hollyhock said propogating the fly trap is the best way to save the plant for the future. We are destroying the fly traps natural environment and even if we tossed out seeds, they wouldn't survive with all the fertilizers in the water today. although, in the wild, It is inspiring to see local populations colonized an area if they are left alone.

Sadly, even Rehder gardens gets poached. I have taken a lot of pictures there and you know when nice fly traps have been taken. I noticed the last time that a bunch of huge vfts were taken. But that said, Riviera said it, there is so much development around rehder gardens that runoff is killing off a large section, especially yellow pitcher plants.

vfts are native to NC and SC because of all the pocosins we have. I'm not sure if they are left over from prehistoric times, but they are very unique environments that vfts and other cps live in. there is no nutrients in the soil or water. and with development, we are destroying the pocosin areas that are not protected.

As for NC vfts, Matt has a Carolina Red Traps and also this Spring Leah said Matt would have the Rehder Giant ready to sell. if you want some NC fly traps, go for those. There are other fly traps out there but idk about buying them. I have seen some Carolina Beach State Park, Green Swamp and Orton Plantation out there.

I think making a Zen Bog in your yard would be awesome. also it would be cool if you could get a cp club or local cp community garden going.

I live close to Wilmington NC. I'm 5 minutes from Holly Shelter Game Preserves where guys were caught in 2005 poaching 1000 fly traps. and umm you know somethings not right when you go in a Beach Tourist Shop that "gives" you a vft with purchase.

Wow, what a powerful response! I am beleived to be the only person in My city who does Venus flytraps. People just say they're hard to care for and don't love long
I have built a reputation here has the crazy Venus flytrap guy, and sadly I am alone here with The passion for these plants. The closest thing we have here is a tiny bonsai club. I've reached out countless times offering workshops and even offering to take a few under my wing with no luck. It is safe to say nobody cares here but me and that's okay, I beleive it's a monopoly.

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Wow, what a powerful response! I am beleived to be the only person in My city who does Venus flytraps. People just say they're hard to care for and don't love long
I have built a reputation here has the crazy Venus flytrap guy, and sadly I am alone here with The passion for these plants. The closest thing we have here is a tiny bonsai club. I've reached out countless times offering workshops and even offering to take a few under my wing with no luck. It is safe to say nobody cares here but me and that's okay, I beleive it's a monopoly.

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Just keep growing and collecting and you just never know what could happen. I drive around in towns and see huge greenhouses in peoples yards and sometimes i stop and ask if i can look and you would be amazed at the collecters out there. i tried to sell some typicals back to the nursery i bought from and they could not because a technical glitche of needing to be licensed and insured. That said, they did get my number and they give it out to vft collecters. Its been fun meeting excited people. one guy wants to visit Rehder gardens with me also. I havnt made much money, but i am having fun!

By the way, wanting to repopulate the woods with cps is an honorable idea or desire. You have heard of JohnnyAppleseed? You could be JohnnyPiranhaPlanter!

Hahaha, right on flytrap hunter! I have no intention of reeling in a bunch of money, I just want the option available to begin the hobby without spending a bunch of money.

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Has anyone done this in Canada? I'm begging to wonder if over an extended period of time Venus flytraps could adapt to Canadian weather

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PiranhaPlanter1 wrote:Has anyone done this in Canada? I'm begging to wonder if over an extended period of time Venus flytraps could adapt to Canadian weather

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No comparison between the Carolina and Canadian winters. Would take a eons of evolutionary adaptation for the rhizomes to withstand the ground being frozen solid a foot deep for months at a time. Even in Ohio our winters are way too long, cold, and brutal for year round outdoor growing of FT's and you're north of us.

Flytraps can grow just fine in southern Ontario as long as ample insulation is provided. This guy focuses on pitcher plants, but some of his posts show his big flytrap bog: https://zone6b.wordpress.com/?s=flytrap I feel like it would be possible to breed for a more resilient variety that could potentially survive most winters without extra insulation. Mind you most of our bogs are up in the boreal forest, which is significantly further north than Niagara.
I highly doubt flytraps would naturally spread to Canada though, and there are many issues with introducing a species to the wild in a place it's never been found before though. Aren't they restricted to a pretty small geographic area even though they can grow just fine in many other nearby areas?

7-ate-9 wrote:Flytraps can grow just fine in southern Ontario as long as ample insulation is provided. This guy focuses on pitcher plants, but some of his posts show his big flytrap bog: https://zone6b.wordpress.com/?s=flytrap I feel like it would be possible to breed for a more resilient variety that could potentially survive most winters without extra insulation. Mind you most of our bogs are up in the boreal forest, which is significantly further north than Niagara.
I highly doubt flytraps would naturally spread to Canada though, and there are many issues with introducing a species to the wild in a place it's never been found before though. Aren't they restricted to a pretty small geographic area even though they can grow just fine in many other nearby areas?

Flytraps are native and live outdoors in the wild in a small area, basically around 70 to 100 miles around Wilmington, NC. They have been introduced. brought in and planted in the wild, to a area in Florida, at least. And its cultivated all over the world. Fly traps live in unique and kinda rare areas that have no nutrients in the soil or water. Outside of that small area in North and South Carolina, they live in special environments that people create. Or simply in a flower pot. And while carnivorous plants are native to certain areas, sundews, pitcher plants other cps grow all over the world, even Canada.

7-ate-9 wrote:Flytraps can grow just fine in southern Ontario as long as ample insulation is provided. This guy focuses on pitcher plants, but some of his posts show his big flytrap bog: https://zone6b.wordpress.com/?s=flytrap I feel like it would be possible to breed for a more resilient variety that could potentially survive most winters without extra insulation. Mind you most of our bogs are up in the boreal forest, which is significantly further north than Niagara.
I highly doubt flytraps would naturally spread to Canada though, and there are many issues with introducing a species to the wild in a place it's never been found before though. Aren't they restricted to a pretty small geographic area even though they can grow just fine in many other nearby areas?

Interesting site. I've been proven wrong. He's in zone 6b which is the very southern part of Canada but that is still Canada. I guess the key is to have them in the ground (a pot would be a death sentence for sure) and provide a layer of winter insulation. He uses pine needles and rakes them off in the spring.

Maybe VFT's could be self selectively bred for cold hardiness by leaving the bog a little less insulated every winter and the few survivors in the spring would be the genetic lottery winners through the process of elimination? Would probably take many years and a lot of cross pollination between the survivors to get to the point of needing zero insulation but it would be worth a try.