Where To Find
Venus Flytrap In the Wild
Venus flytrap is a flowering plant, as well as a carnivorous plant, native of South and North Carolina, mostly found on coastal plain where wetlands and wet savannah are present. The edge between these two habitats is where Venus flytrap, pitcher plants, and other carnivorous flora like to call home.
It is also been introduced in a few other states like Florida and New Jersey. And began popular as the potted plants worldwide.
Its scientific name is _Dionaea muscipula_.And named by Charles Darwin as “one of the most wonderful plants in the world.” That’s why biologist for many centuries has been captivated with this plant.
This plant grows from a bulb-like rootstock and bears small white flowers with green veins at the tip of an erect stem. The leaves have blades that are hinged along the midline, that when prey comes in contact with Venus flytrap, the lobes automatically snap out. These two hinged lobes are located at the end of each leaf. These lobes have a hair-like projection called trichomes.
This plant grows from a bulb-like rootstock and bears small white flowers with green veins at the tip of an erect stem. The leaves have blades that are hinged along the midline, that when prey comes in contact with Venus flytrap, the lobes automatically snap out. These two hinged lobes are located at the end of each leaf. These lobes have a hair-like projection called trichomes.
Venus flytrap eats mostly insects and arachnids, ants, beetles, grasshoppers, spiders, and flying insects. Once the prey traps inside Venus flytrap, it takes three to five days to digest sometimes up to one month and after which the leaf reopens, ready to attack again. The trap life span is only limited after capturing three or four insects.
Venus flytrap has been widely cultivated for sale, yet its population has been rapidly declining in its native range. There are only a few areas where you can see this beautiful plant in its natural habitat.
Even though the cultivation of Venus flytrap is so rampant now. Venus flytrap's natural habitat should be in the wild, due to any particular set of conditions. The plant loves to grow in moist, acidic soil that may be poor in nutrients and receive a lot of suns. Because of the lack of soil nutritional value, these plants rely on their insect prey to provide nitrogen for protein formation where the soil cant sustain them. They also love the sun, usually, they are found in less than 10% canopy cover. The natural fire from the sun is an important part of their habitat, but without regular burns, woody plants, shrubs, and trees will keep on growing in and shade the flytrap out and this results in a less suitable habitat for the sun-loving Venus flytraps.
But as the population grows, with all the residential and commercial development and road building that directly eliminating the flytrap habitats, we may be forwarding through progression but these fragile plants are dying and soon reaching extinction. Thus, habitat loss is a major threat to these species.
And the only way we will be able to continue to enjoy the existence of the Venus flytrap is if we take steps now to protect its remaining populations and habitats so that future generations may be able to see and appreciate these beautiful Venus flytraps in the wild.
