Where Are Venus Fly Traps Found

While most people are familiar with the jaw trap – the snapping Venus fly trap – scientists do not know much about the biology of this carnivorous plant. Researchers have found that fly traps do not eat pollinators, and for the first time they have # I have discovered the insects pollinating them. Scientists from the University of California, San Diego School of Veterinary Medicine and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) discovered a fly trap that does not eat pollinators. Sources: 1

The Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a carnivorous plant species native to Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Fewer than 150,000 of these plants live at known sites, but their considerable eccentricities limit them to a relatively small area. They are limited to an area of about 1.5 square kilometres in Africa and 1 square kilometre in Asia. Sources: 1, 4

They are particularly common in Malaysia and Australia, but they have also colonized some states in both countries. The Pine Barrens on the New Jersey coast is a hot spot, as are several pockets in the Southeast. They grow on soils that are very nutrient-rich – poor and often waterlogged, such as sand dunes, swamps, rivers, lakes and streams. Sources: 4, 5

In order to increase the hunger of these resources, they catch and digest insects and other animal prey and feed on them and their larvae. Sources: 5

Venus fly traps are endemic in North and South Carolina, but have also been introduced in several other states, including Florida and New Jersey. Of all the known carnivorous plant species in the world, the Venus Flytrap is probably the most famous, and it fascinated Charles Darwin and many other naturalists in his day. There are other carnivores of the plant in the wild, but it is one of the few that has the ability to actively catch its prey. Sources: 0, 5

Unfortunately, most of the venus flytraps sold are collected and cultivated from declining wild populations, and it is a popular potted plant in many parts of the world, but also in the United States. Sources: 0

Dionaea muscipula, also called Venus flytrap, is perhaps the most iconic carnivorous plant in the world and is native to North Carolina. Venus flytraps need an open undergrowth in the treetop, but they can also live in the shade of trees and shrubs, as well as grasses and other vegetation. Sources: 0, 3

On Biodiversity Day, we turn to our friends who do great conservation work, such as the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources (NCDNR) and the National Park Service (NCDNR). Sources: 3

The home of the Venus flytrap is a source of pride for North Carolinians, and Charles Darwin called it “the most wonderful plant in the world. It is also known as Dionaea muscipula and is one of the rarest plants to eat small creatures as prey. Few people know that its entire worldwide distribution area covers more than 3,500 square kilometers of land. Sources: 3, 8

If you touch a Venus fly trap with a stick, you can get it to keep its mouth shut, but make sure you close it and pay special attention to what it decides to digest. Sources: 8

We have learned a lot about these particular species since Darwin’s time, including how the traps work, what types of insects they eat, and how they lure insects to their eventual demise. The traps have evolved in such a way that only worthwhile prey such as insects, birds, reptiles, amphibians or even birds trigger digestion. Sources: 6, 8

This is even more strange when you consider that there are studies on other carnivorous plants which suggest that there is a conflict between the organisms pollinating the flowers of the plant and those that eat the plants. We have no idea how they can get the insects pollinating their blossoms to eat them first – a method known as pollinator-prey conflict. From what we have learned about Venus fly traps in recent centuries, we now know that the insect pollinates first its flowers and then its prey, and vice versa. Sources: 6

It is now thought that this skillful genetic mixing has helped three closely related carnivorous plants develop the ability to catch a protein-rich meal. Sources: 7

For example, pitcher plants use traps that contain enzymes to digest stray insects. Others contain a variety of other carnivorous plants, such as pitcher and potted plants, as well as some herbivores. Sources: 7

Venus flytraps are found in a variety of habitats, such as grasses, shrubs, trees, bushes and other plants. Small and slow – they grow, tolerate fire well, but rely on periodic burning to suppress their competition. They use modified sheets and pads that snap when an insect lands on them, with the pads perceiving multiple touches to the pad. Sources: 7, 9

They can grow and be successfully transplanted in many places around the world and are estimated to remain in the wild based on the number of species of Venus fly traps that have been successfully transplanted and bred in their ancestral habitats within and outside the US. Sources: 2, 9

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