Insect-eating Venus flytraps thrive in the Carolinas as hikers peek into their native ecosystem
May 26, 2025
Some of the most unique living things in the world — plants that supplement the nutrients they get from sunlight by digesting ants, flies and spiders — are only found in a small part of North and South Carolina. Venus flytraps in the wild aren’t like the human-size, ravenous and cruel Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. Instead, they are the size of a lima bean and mean no harm to anything other than insects. Their special hairs snap their leaves together when brushed — but only twice in about 20 seconds or less to reduce the amount of false alarms by dust or rain.
