In the Garden

You Don’t Need a Picture to See a Pitcher Plant

By Pat Naughton

Prior to moving to Brunswick County, I’d never even heard of Pitcher Plants, let alone seen one in a picture. During the planning of a bog garden for my community, we came across of grouping of Purple Pitcher Plants. Since then, I’ve discovered how fortunate we are to be in this area of native carnivorous plants. Pitcher Plants and Venus Flytraps are a couple of native carnivorous plants that can be found in this area. In fact, Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is native only to a small area within 60 miles of Wilmington. Venus Flytraps have two lobes that close when an insect lands on one.

Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia) attract insects by flowers and water contained within the long, slender hollow stem. Insects crawl down inside the plant. Tiny hairs on the inside prevent the insect from escaping. Both plants grow in moist soil that is low in nutrients. They rely on insects to supply nitrogen that is not available in the soil.

You don’t have to travel far see native Pitcher Plants and Venus Flytraps. Late May through June is a perfect time to observe Pitcher Plants in full bloom. Here are a couple of locations that are worth the trip.

The Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden

This nearly three-quarter-acre garden is located just off Independence Blvd. in Wilmington behind Alderman Elementary School. This garden was created by Stanley Rehder, who had a passion for Venus Flytraps. He was known as “The Flytrap Man.” The area was passed over by the developer, Hugh McRae, since it was too wet to build on. It was not too wet for the Venus Flytraps growing there. Hugh was a friend of Stanley and gave him permission to grow plants there. For more than 20 years Stanley planted Sundews, Pitcher Plants, Bladderworts, Butterworts, and Venus Flytraps. Under a Coastal Land Trust conservation easement, the garden is leased to the City of Wilmington. There is plenty of parking and a wooden observation deck to see plants up close.

Le : Venus Flytraps grow naturally only in our area. They’re small! Below: Flowers and pitchers on a Yellow Pitcher Plant. Pictures courtesy NCSU Extension Garden Plant Toolbox

Green Swamp Preserve

If you would like to experience these plants in the stillness of a forest, visit the Green Swamp Preserve just off route 211 in Brunswick County. There are 14 different species of carnivorous plants in this area. The mile-long trail is very easy to walk. Through a forest of long leaf pines, you come to a field of tall red and yellow Pitcher Plants. This is one of the few places you can find Venus Flytraps in their native habitat. Venus Flytraps are small, so you must look closely to find them, but they are there.