By admin 
The imperiled Venus flytrap grows in the wild only along the coastal plain in North and South Carolina and now its existence is further compromised by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s decision to not protect it through the Endangered Species Act, the Center for Biological Diversity said.
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The nonprofit based in Arizona notified the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service it intends to file a lawsuit.
“These charismatic carnivorous plants need Endangered Species Act protections because they’ve nearly disappeared from the wild, and development is devouring what’s left of their habitat,” said Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the center. “The Fish and Wildlife Service must act quickly to snatch these snapping plants from the jaws of extinction.”
Charles Darwin called Venus flytraps one of “the most wonderful plants in the world.”
They have “two jaw-like leaves that snap shut around their prey in a fraction of a second,” the center said in a news release.
Typically, they are about 5 inches tall and have burgundy and lime-green toothed leaves. Sensitive hairs trigger the snap trap. They eat ants, spiders, flies and small frogs.
Once the traps are closed, digestive enzymes break down the insect, a process that can take up to 20 days.
“Venus flytraps reproduce primarily through seed after their flowers are pollinated by bees, butterflies, and other flying insects,” the South Carolina Native Plant Society said.
Habitat loss, poaching, lack of wildfire and climate change have contributed to declining numbers — a decrease of 98%. Venus flytraps are known only to Horry County and the southeast corner of North Carolina, the South Carolina Native Plant Society said.
“This feisty little plant was once far more abundant and widespread,” said Don Waller, retired professor of botany at the University of Wisconsin and lead author of the Venus flytrap listing petition.
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They live in wet, open longleaf pine savannas and need frequent fires to prevent their habitat from being overgrown.
“Most remaining Venus flytraps are found in just three areas in the Carolina coastal plain that are vulnerable to sea level rise and extreme weather,” the center said.
Plant scientists asked the federal government to protect them in 2016. The government said they may warrant protection but then denied it in 2023 after the center sued them to make a decision.
“The Service’s decision improperly assumed that all remaining large flytrap populations will continue to be actively managed by prescribed fire, failed to acknowledge the risk of sea-level rise and unlawfully concluded that the loss of all remaining flytrap populations in the Sandhills and Inner Coastal Plain region was not significant,” the center’s news release said.
The South Carolina Native Plant Society says, “The Venus flytrap is a unique and strange looking species that conjures up images of deep, mysterious jungles or Little Shop of Horrors.”
In 2023, the Venus flytrap was named the official carnivorous plant of South Carolina.
In 2013, it was added to a state law that protects sea oats.
If convicted, it’s a misdemeanor with a $200 fine or five to 30 days in jail.
In North Carolina, it’s a felony.
In the 1750s, North Carolina Governor Arthur Hobbs, who lived in Brunswick County, discovered the plant.
The plant is a tourism draw as well, with its history featured on the Visit Myrtle Beach website.
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