Venus Flytrap

The Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant endemic to the subtropical wetlands of the Carolinas, with its natural range confined to a roughly 70–90 mile radius around Wilmington, North Carolina, extending slightly into South Carolina Wikipedia+3. It thrives in nutrient-poor, sandy soils of longleaf pine savannas and wetland ecotones, where regular fire disturbances maintain open, sunny habitats essential for its growth scienceinsights.org+1. The plant supplements its nutrient intake by capturing insects, which provide nitrogen and phosphorus lacking in the soil.

The species is vulnerable due to habitat loss and poaching, and it is illegal to remove wild plants in North Carolina ncsu.edu+1.

Back on Sunday January 5th I was working at the coffee house doing my normal cleaning and maintenance inside the shop. I went out back to have a quick break and to enjoy the sunshine. I heard a very loud squawking sound and looked up just in time to see a large Raven flying erratically in large circles. All of a sudden the Raven dropped something it had ahold of in the middle of the parking lot. Wondering what it was I walked over to it and found a rather tore up sickly looking Venus flytrap.

Knowing this plant was on the endangered list I felt compelled to help it. I planted it into an urn style pot and was careful to make sure the soil was sandy. Sadly after a few days it was dying and started wilting. Out of desperation knowing what gets me up and going each day I poured an iced latte with an extra shot of espresso into the pot.

Much to my surprise the next day the plant was standing straight up and the yellow was fading to green on the leaves. For the last few months I have fed this plant on a steady diet of double shot iced lattes and meal worms. The plant has grown quite a bit and has now become a coffee house pet.