New Resource: The Complete Guide To Venus Flytraps
In the 6 months since I launched Tom’s Carnivores, my interactive guides to Sarracenia and Nepenthes have proven to be my most popular resources. Today, they’re being joined by my Complete Guide to Venus Flytraps.
Aimed at beginners, but hopefully useful to experienced growers too, the guide offers detailed advice on flytrap cultivars, growing locations, winter dormancy, water, and soil mixtures. Much like my Sarracenia guide, it also includes an interactive map of the native range of the genera’s single species, Dionaea muscipula.
To illustrate the enormous threat posed by habitat destruction, I have marked counties in which the plant is believed to be extinct in a different colour. Exotic populations (i.e. those which have been artificially introduced) are also plotted separately. Simply touch or hover over a particular region on the map for more details, and zoom to explore.
As was the case when I built my Sarracenia map, I could not find one centralised source offering all the required data in a usable format. Data on exotic populations was particularly patchy. As such, I’ve used the USDA PLANTS Database, Encyclopedia of Life, and several other sources. Cultivar photos are courtesy of John Sirkett.
My hope is that this guide will be useful to conservationists and Dionaea enthusiasts worldwide. If you have any feedback, I’d love to hear from you. To tell me what you think, or suggest any changes, please get in touch via email.
Thanks for reading, and good growing!
I've been growing carnivorous plants for over 2 decades, having been fascinated by these plants since I got my first Venus flytrap at age 10. I now have a large greenhouse to house my collection, and sell a variety of carnivorous plants on my shop.
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