(Pictured Left:) The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a prehistoric relic that exists only in the bogs of North and South Carolina. Click here to enlarge image...

By: DANA STARKS
Staff Writer

No, Cincinnati’s fictional DJ did not leave WKRP and relocate to Pleasure Island. Don’t worry, there’s not a man-eating monster by the lake shouting “feed me Seymour, feed me!”  We have the actual plant living right here on the Island.
The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a prehistoric relic that exists only in the bogs of North and South Carolina. It does not grow more than eight inches tall and it only eats flies, spiders, slugs, crickets and caterpillars. The carnivorous plant has fascinated people for centuries because of the way its clam- shaped leaves close in 1/10 of a second when they trap their prey. That is faster than the blink of an eye. It does this when by luring unsuspecting insects into its trap with its sweet scent and red color. Once inside the concave leaves, the prey activates trigger hairs which send electrical impulses that signal the leaves to clamp shut. Strangely enough, the flytrap even knows when it has trapped something other than animal protein and will reopen its trap after 12 hours.
This is only a mechanical process; it doesn’t really have a brain. When it does digest a tasty treat like a fly, the plant’s leaves will remain shut for up to a week to digest the food.
If you want to see the plants growing in the wild, check out the trails at Carolina Beach State park. A word to the wise, do not try to dig them up and transplant them. They are endangered and poaching them carries stiff penalties and fines. Also refrain from touching carnivorous plants because they expend a lot of energy to close their traps. Unnecessary closings may cause them to die. Venus Flytraps also thrive at the Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
If you want to grow a flytrap at home, purchase one at a local garden store and plant it in a terrarium. An old fish bowl will serve this purpose well. Local green thumb Tosha Longo states “only use African Violet soil, that’s what the plant needs.” She says she only waters her flytrap from the bottom and puts saran wrap over the top to create humid conditions. Feed your plant only a few flies per month in the summer and make sure it gets plenty of sun, but not so much that it wilts. Flytraps are dormant from Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day, so they need less light and no flies in the winter. Do not feed your plant hamburger, it will get indigestion and will most likely die.