Carnivorous plants: Meet the South’s feasting flora

Nestled in North Carolina’s lush wetlands are some of nature’s most fascinating evolutionary wonders — carnivorous plants.  

Having survived and evolved over millions of years, in some of the harshest conditions, the resilience of these plants is incredible. There are 66 carnivorous plant species known in the United States, and 36 of them are native to North Carolina.

Carnivorous plants evolved to consume insects and other organisms to compensate for nutrient-poor soil. Though the plants vary in appearance and mechanism, all of them speak to the incredible rarity of this ability.  

These unique adaptations require a unique home and unfortunately, the wetlands these plants have spent millions of years relying on face increasing threats.  

When a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in May 2023 weakened federal wetland protections, legislators in the Tar Heel state embraced this devastating blow to our precious wetlands, stripping state protections from wetlands and putting upwards of one million acres of wetlands at risk. This change puts the habitat of many carnivorous plants at an increased risk of pollution and development. 

In the weeds

These unique wetland ecosystems do not just provide a habitat for plants and animals — they also protect surrounding communities from flooding and filter water that makes it to our taps. Despite their numerous benefits, wetland protections are under attack from multiple sources, and we are working hard to save them with the help of communities across the South. 

“Wetlands keep North Carolina communities safe by buffering the effects of intense storms, reducing floods, filtering pollution to improve water quality, replenishing groundwater reserves, and protecting wildlife,” said Mary Maclean Asbill, director of SELC’s North Carolina offices. “The harm done by this decision affects more than the wildlife that calls wetlands home, it affects our communities.”  

“Wetlands are the lifeblood of our ecosystems. They provide sanctuary and sustenance to countless plants and animals,” says Mary Maclean Asbill, director of SELC’s North Carolina offices. “The harm done by this decision jeopardizes our iconic plants and wildlife as well as our communities.” 

The harm done by this decision jeopardizes our iconic plants and wildlife as well as our communities.

Mary Maclean Asbill, Director of North Carolina offices

SELC has continued to work diligently to protect the wetlands, an ecosystem that provides flood protection, water filtration, and important habitat for wildlife like carnivorous plants: a true N.C. evolutionary feat.  

Types of trappers

There are several types of carnivorous plants native to North Carolina. These five plants are just a few of the species that you may encounter in the South, including some you may not have heard of. 

Pitcher Plant

Tall, tube-shaped plants rise above the sediment in the wetlands in clusters of green, purple, and pink. Filled with water and nectar, the pitcher plant attracts insects to its rim. Then the prey may slip down the tube, where they inevitably drown in the pooled water. Digestive enzymes in the pool break down the organism and synthesize it to provide missing nutrients.  

Sundew

These perennial pretties act as “flypaper” traps. With sticky red hairs protruding from their leaves, fascinating flora come to investigate the nectar, only to get trapped in the plant’s adhesive secretions.  Once the plant senses it has caught something, the leaves will curl around the insect to suffocate and eventually digest it.  

Bladderwort

This carnivore eats faster than we do. Small “bladders” exist underwater on the roots of the plant, and when an organism trips the hair trigger, the bladder opens and vacuums it up in roughly 4 milliseconds. This kind of speed makes the bladderwort the fastest carnivorous plant known to man. It can be found in all fifty states; living completely submerged underwater aside from its stem and blossom that blooms above the surface.  

Butterwort

The simple, but impressive, butterwort traps its prey on its flypaper-like leaves. The sticky leaf will also curl up, prohibiting the insect from escaping as the leaf then secretes digestive enzymes to break down its trapped prey. Known to consume mostly ants or gnats, these plants typically live in the Sandhills of N.C., but can also be found in other regions of the world.  

Venus flytrap

The most famous of all the carnivorous plants can only be found in a 75-mile radius near Wilmington, N.C. These coastal carnivores have two hinged lobes with bristles that interlock, prohibiting prey from squirming out of the trap. Inside the lobes, there are hair-like triggers that tell the plant to close when an insect trips the trigger. This iconic plant has been adopted by the N.C. General Assembly as the state’s official carnivorous plant, and it remains illegal to remove a Venus flytrap from the wild.

The South isn’t the same without our iconic and wonderful flora, like the Venus flytrap. We will continue to protect and advocate for the communities and wildlife that call our region home.  

Protecting our wetlands ensures that North Carolina can remain home to carnivorous plants: extraordinary examples of our region’s incredible biodiversity and uniqueness.