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Dale Suiter/USFWSMedia Usage Rights/License
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Venus flytrap plant displaying deep red traps. Photo by Dale Suiter, June 15, 2016.
The Venus flytrap is North Carolina’s Official Carnivorous Plant. In the 1800s, Charles Darwin called it “one of the most wonderful plants in the world.” The Venus flytrap gets most of its energy from the sun through photosynthesis, like most plants. It also supplements its nutrition with small spiders, ants and other small insects because it grows in poor soil that’s low in nutrients. Venus flytrap rarely traps its pollinators. Experts theorize that the flower grows high above the ground and away from the traps to avoid eating it’s pollinators.
Natural populations only occur in the Carolinas. Population numbers and sizes continue to decline due to fire suppression, habitat loss and poaching. The North Carolina Plant Conservation Program lists them as “Special Concern-Vulnerable.” Poaching Venus flytraps is a felony in North Carolina. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to collaborating with state and federal agencies, companies, NGOs, researchers and many other partners gathering and assessing the best available data, and implementing conservation actions to ensure the Venus flytrap and its habitat survive into the future.
Downloadable photos of Venus flytrap available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwssoutheast/albums/72157714384331906/with/49917090378/
The Venus flytrap is North Carolina’s Official Carnivorous Plant. In the 1800s, Charles Darwin called it “one of the most wonderful plants in the world.” The Venus flytrap gets most of its energy from the sun through photosynthesis, like most plants. It also supplements its nutrition with small spiders, ants and other small insects because it grows in poor soil that’s low in nutrients. Venus flytrap rarely traps its pollinators. Experts theorize that the flower grows high above the ground and away from the traps to avoid eating it’s pollinators.
Natural populations only occur in the Carolinas. Population numbers and sizes continue to decline due to fire suppression, habitat loss and poaching. The North Carolina Plant Conservation Program lists them as “Special Concern-Vulnerable.” Poaching Venus flytraps is a felony in North Carolina. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to collaborating with state and federal agencies, companies, NGOs, researchers and many other partners gathering and assessing the best available data, and implementing conservation actions to ensure the Venus flytrap and its habitat survive into the future.
Downloadable photos of Venus flytrap available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwssoutheast/albums/72157714384331906/with/49917090378/
Ecosystem
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