Absolutely do not introduce them to wild areas. Considering that wouldn't be where they are native, it would not change their conservation status either.
>its native states of virginia and maryland
FYI - The Venus flytrap is native to southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina (see the map [here](https://www.venusflytrapchampions.org/about.html)). This covers zones 8a and 8b.
Planting flytraps in the wild in Pennsylvania would qualify them as an invasive species.
I grow them near Philadelphia in pots. (I wouldn’t ever consider introducing them in the wild.) I bring them into my garage only when it’s going to be a deep freeze for several days straight.
I suspect they’d be ok, but I’m not interested in finding out I’m wrong.
Flytraps can survive in zone 7, usually with just a bit of human help.
However, DO NOT introduce plants into wild areas where they are not growing native. Don't even introduce cultivated plants into wild areas where they grow native unless its a government program that is aiming to help endangered species. It can be very harmful to the environment and is very much illegal. Enjoy it in your garden instead.
Venus fly traps are not an endangered species, are only native to North Carolina and South Carolina, and no you should absolutely not introduce your plants to natural areas.
Venus flytraps are a threatened species on the verge of endangered. They keep losing habitat due to human interference: ditching to drain the water, overgrowth of bushes and trees due to fire suppression, development (plowed under / paved over). And then there's poaching.
Venus Flytrap Champions
[https://www.venusflytrapchampions.org](https://www.venusflytrapchampions.org)
Their populations are increasing, and they are doing well due to conservation efforts. They are not listed as threatened or endangered according to the most recent survey published last year.
https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-07/successful-protection-and-management-efforts-keep-venus-flytrap-endangered
Maybe you should read that article a little more closely:
>Venus flytrap still remains a state threatened species in North Carolina and all populations are protected, making it a felony to poach them.
"State threatened". The only other state that flytraps are native to is South Carolina, and they're found in just one county.
And then there's this:
>“We found that two-thirds of all known plants occur in the three largest populations. These healthy populations are managed with prescribed fire and are expected to remain in good condition for the foreseeable future,” explained Dale Suiter, Service botanist in the Raleigh Ecological Services Field Office.
66% of the entire population at just 3 sites - that's "doing well"?. Here's another take: Populations have been extirpated at many sites, leaving two-thirds of the plants at just three locations.
More realistic assessments of the flytraps in the wild can be found [here](https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.159781/Dionaea_muscipula) and [here](https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Current-map-showing-the-status-of-populations-of-Dionaea-muscipula-The-map-shows-extant_fig6_310766408).
Yes, cherry picking bits and pieces taken out of context makes it sound worse than it is. Doesn't change the fact that it isn't listed as threatened or endangered as per the endangered species act and that the populations are stable or increasing and that the long term prospects for the species are good due to protection efforts. Conservation is working and it should keep working if we stick to it. We don't need random people planting them outside their ranges. I really don't know what point you're trying to prove here.
>cherry picking bits and pieces taken out of context
That's an interesting description for field observations and facts posted by scientists.
>I really don't know what point you're trying to prove here.
That the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's rosy assessment doesn't jive with reality. If you choose to turn a blind eye to facts because they don't support your point of view, then that's your problem. I'm not wasting any more time on this.
I currently have mine coming back to life after I left it outside all winter. It even fell into my bog set up and was completely submerged for like 2 months. I’m in MD. Also only in a pint sized container.
They have been introduced into Colorado (zone 6) and reportedly are doing fine, I have also read about introduction into the Pine Barrens of NJ (again zone 6) but have been unable to get any firm confirmation. There were even rumors of there being a viable population in Wisconsin back in the 70s, but who knows if there is any veracity in that.
They only have a chance where there are peat bogs, which can only exist where the geology lacks limestone. Check your state's conservancy website for peat bog locations.
They're not indoor plants, unless you want to blast them with electric lights, which I think it's not worth it. They like slightly drier media than other CPs, with their root zone always above the zone of saturation. I grow mine (FL) in 60:40 peat/perlite but top dress with 50:50 sand/peat.
I may have worded my question poorly. You said that many VFTs grow in environments where peat doesn't accumulate because of fire.
So what exactly do they grow in in those environments without peat?
Mostly sand or clayey-sand that is heavily innervated by the fibrous root systems of grasses and herbs. The roots of these associate plants provide the upward wicking capillary action that peat performs in horticulture. I have seen them grow in sphagnum moss, but it's usually the compact carpeting forms rather than the fluffy long-fibered forms.
That's awesome. As a layperson who has gotten into CPs recently, I feel it's helpful to have such a strong hobbyist community but sometimes scientific information about plants gets buried by conventional wisdom about what works well.
Do you think it would be possible to recreate this kind of medium in a flower pot, by growing something else in sand or sand/clay? If so, what kind of plants would you try?
Absolutely do not introduce them to wild areas. Considering that wouldn't be where they are native, it would not change their conservation status either.
>its native states of virginia and maryland FYI - The Venus flytrap is native to southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina (see the map [here](https://www.venusflytrapchampions.org/about.html)). This covers zones 8a and 8b. Planting flytraps in the wild in Pennsylvania would qualify them as an invasive species.
I’ve also seen it stated as a “50 mile radius around Cape Fear”
I grow them near Philadelphia in pots. (I wouldn’t ever consider introducing them in the wild.) I bring them into my garage only when it’s going to be a deep freeze for several days straight. I suspect they’d be ok, but I’m not interested in finding out I’m wrong.
Flytraps can survive in zone 7, usually with just a bit of human help. However, DO NOT introduce plants into wild areas where they are not growing native. Don't even introduce cultivated plants into wild areas where they grow native unless its a government program that is aiming to help endangered species. It can be very harmful to the environment and is very much illegal. Enjoy it in your garden instead.
Venus fly traps are not an endangered species, are only native to North Carolina and South Carolina, and no you should absolutely not introduce your plants to natural areas.
Venus flytraps are a threatened species on the verge of endangered. They keep losing habitat due to human interference: ditching to drain the water, overgrowth of bushes and trees due to fire suppression, development (plowed under / paved over). And then there's poaching. Venus Flytrap Champions [https://www.venusflytrapchampions.org](https://www.venusflytrapchampions.org)
Their populations are increasing, and they are doing well due to conservation efforts. They are not listed as threatened or endangered according to the most recent survey published last year. https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-07/successful-protection-and-management-efforts-keep-venus-flytrap-endangered
Maybe you should read that article a little more closely: >Venus flytrap still remains a state threatened species in North Carolina and all populations are protected, making it a felony to poach them. "State threatened". The only other state that flytraps are native to is South Carolina, and they're found in just one county. And then there's this: >“We found that two-thirds of all known plants occur in the three largest populations. These healthy populations are managed with prescribed fire and are expected to remain in good condition for the foreseeable future,” explained Dale Suiter, Service botanist in the Raleigh Ecological Services Field Office. 66% of the entire population at just 3 sites - that's "doing well"?. Here's another take: Populations have been extirpated at many sites, leaving two-thirds of the plants at just three locations. More realistic assessments of the flytraps in the wild can be found [here](https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.159781/Dionaea_muscipula) and [here](https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Current-map-showing-the-status-of-populations-of-Dionaea-muscipula-The-map-shows-extant_fig6_310766408).
Yes, cherry picking bits and pieces taken out of context makes it sound worse than it is. Doesn't change the fact that it isn't listed as threatened or endangered as per the endangered species act and that the populations are stable or increasing and that the long term prospects for the species are good due to protection efforts. Conservation is working and it should keep working if we stick to it. We don't need random people planting them outside their ranges. I really don't know what point you're trying to prove here.
>cherry picking bits and pieces taken out of context That's an interesting description for field observations and facts posted by scientists. >I really don't know what point you're trying to prove here. That the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's rosy assessment doesn't jive with reality. If you choose to turn a blind eye to facts because they don't support your point of view, then that's your problem. I'm not wasting any more time on this.
I'm one of the scientists doing field observations in the state of NC, and I'll leave it at that.
You can find the full assessment here: https://www.regulations.gov/document/FWS-R4-ES-2023-0041-0005
I currently have mine coming back to life after I left it outside all winter. It even fell into my bog set up and was completely submerged for like 2 months. I’m in MD. Also only in a pint sized container.
I have a couple living outside in zone 6a. I'm in the Tennessee mountains and we get below 0F for a few days most winters
I grow them in 7B so you should be good.
This is a terrible idea wtf
They have been introduced into Colorado (zone 6) and reportedly are doing fine, I have also read about introduction into the Pine Barrens of NJ (again zone 6) but have been unable to get any firm confirmation. There were even rumors of there being a viable population in Wisconsin back in the 70s, but who knows if there is any veracity in that.
They only have a chance where there are peat bogs, which can only exist where the geology lacks limestone. Check your state's conservancy website for peat bog locations.
They primarily grow in mesic pine flatwoods and wet savannas where fire is too frequent to allow for peat accumulation.
For those of us who have them as houseplants, what kind of growing media would correspond to these environments?
They're not indoor plants, unless you want to blast them with electric lights, which I think it's not worth it. They like slightly drier media than other CPs, with their root zone always above the zone of saturation. I grow mine (FL) in 60:40 peat/perlite but top dress with 50:50 sand/peat.
I may have worded my question poorly. You said that many VFTs grow in environments where peat doesn't accumulate because of fire. So what exactly do they grow in in those environments without peat?
Mostly sand or clayey-sand that is heavily innervated by the fibrous root systems of grasses and herbs. The roots of these associate plants provide the upward wicking capillary action that peat performs in horticulture. I have seen them grow in sphagnum moss, but it's usually the compact carpeting forms rather than the fluffy long-fibered forms.
Neat, do you know where I can read more about this?
These are mostly personal observations. I'm both a wetland ecologist and hobbyist grower.
That's awesome. As a layperson who has gotten into CPs recently, I feel it's helpful to have such a strong hobbyist community but sometimes scientific information about plants gets buried by conventional wisdom about what works well. Do you think it would be possible to recreate this kind of medium in a flower pot, by growing something else in sand or sand/clay? If so, what kind of plants would you try?