Venus Fly Trap - Dionaea Muscipula

Dionaea muscipula is a small carnivorous perennial native to a limited coastal range in North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina. Its hinged leaf traps close when trigger hairs are touched, making it a distinctive container or bog-garden plant for consistently wet, sunny sites. ## Form and placement The plant grows as a low rosette of leaves whose paired lobes form toothed traps. North Carolina Extension notes that traps respond when two of the six trigger hairs are disturbed. Use it in a container, bog edge, pond-side planting, or another site that can remain wet without ordinary garden fertilizer or mineral-rich soil. ## Growing conditions Provide full sun to partial shade and high humidity. Keep the root zone wet in an acidic, nutrient-poor, sandy medium; mineral-free rainwater or distilled water helps prevent dissolved salts from accumulating. Do not fertilize or use ordinary potting soil. A shallow water tray can help maintain the moisture this species needs, while a free-draining container prevents the roots from sitting in compacted, oxygen-poor mix. See the [North Carolina Extension Plant Toolbox profile](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/dionaea-muscipula/) for its native range and cultivation guidance. ## Maintenance Outdoor plants are hardy in USDA zones 7–10. Extension guidance says plants can also be grown in zones 5–6 when protected through winter; that protection is different from unprotected hardiness. Keep the medium wet with low-mineral water, avoid fertilizer, and give the plant bright light during active growth. The plant catches its own prey with its leaves, so ordinary fertilizer is unnecessary.