FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello everyone,



Does anyone know the history of the Orton Plantation Venus Fly Trap? Are they wild types? I know what the plantation is but was wondering about the plants themselves there. Are they planted there or grow wild there?

The plantation is in the Cape Fear area of North Carolina which is part of the native habitat of flytraps. A quick search of "Orton Plantation Venus Fly Trap" shows that the plantation is prone to poaching. It is possible that it was collected legally and bred but it is equally likely that it was poached.

Orton Plantation is a couple hours' drive from my house, in the heart of Venus flytrap country. I've never heard of them approving anyone to dig up flytraps on the property, but it's always possible. Like Panman said, it's just as likely that the plant was poached.

I read a report about flytrap poaching on Orton Plantation from 2015/2016. There was a function at Orton, and one of the staff saw 2 guys come out of the woods and drop down in the tall grass. It was very obvious that they were flytrap poachers, and brazen/stupid ones at that. He alerted the Deputy on duty, and the officer started walking across the field toward where the men were last seen. The men jumped up and ran into the woods. The Deputy got in his car and drove around to the road on the other side of the woods. The men started to come out, saw a police car, turned around, and ran back the way they had come. The Deputy then drove back around to the function. The men came out of the woods on the other side, saw another police car, turned around, and ran back. The Deputy drove around to the road again. The men saw his car, turned around, and ran in the other direction. The Deputy drove back to the function. When the men saw him this time, they said "We give up! Can I have some water?" The Deputy handed their pillow case to the staff member, and he went out to the field and replanted the flytraps.

Things to avoid/have qualms about:

1. I have an S. flava 'carrabelle'. This location data is NOT SEEN in large collections. Thus, it is likely to be a poached plant
2. The seeds arrived at my house in an original pod, appeared like they were torn off/cut off a plant. Normally, seeds are packed in envelopes
3. Some Nep seeds I have bought have "G. mulu 1642m" on it, and I got several. Such precision likely means it was poached/wild collected.
4. I have received a cobra that soon wimped and wilted away in my collection, this was when I was starting out. Cobras hate being uprooted; this one clearly was.

There are two ways to prevent poaching:

Ask for verbatim photos of the plants
-OR-
Not make an offer when too much or too little information is provided.

Best of luck. Also, it's my 500th post on this forum so yay!