Habitat of Venus Fly Traps

The Venus Flytrap recieves most of its nutrients from captured insects.

The Venus flytrap is a perennial plant that belongs to the Dionaea muscipula genus. These plants capture insects by folding their leaves over the prey and require little soil nutrition. The Venus flytrap is one of several carnivorous plants native to North America.

Natural Habitat

The Venus flytrap is a native of North and South Carolina, generally found in the wetlands that bridge the East Coast. The Venus flytrap's preferred habitat is a swampy area with few trees and bushes. In its natural habitat, the Venus flytrap grows in clusters, surrounded by savanna grasses and other carnivorous plants.

Environment

The Venus flytrap prefers a partial shade environment with high humidity. It is capable of withstanding full sun, but only if the soil contains high moisture content. The plants are hardy and can tolerate some frost, but will not survive temperature of minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit; however, the temperature in their natural habitat rarely falls below 32 Fahrenheit.

Habitat Soil Preference

The Venus flytrap is capable of growing in a variety of soil such as a mixture of earth and peat or sand. This plant also enjoys loam, a soil mixture of sand, silt and clay. The Venus flytrap is sensitive to the level of acidity in the soil, tolerating pH between 4.0 and 5.0, but nothing lower.

Diet and Nutrition

Carnivorous plants such as the Venus flytrap depend very little on the nutrients in the soil. The root system of the Venus flytrap is short, forcing the plant to develop other methods of receiving needed nutrients. The Venus flytrap evolved a sophisticated method for acquiring nutrients from its natural environment by trapping insects and other bugs. This compensates for the lack of nutrients that the Venus flytrap receives from the soil.

Artificial Habitat

The Venus flytrap requires low quality soil with little to no nutrition when kept as a houseplant. Soils rich with nitrogen will irritate the plant, and any fertilizer will kill a Venus flytrap. Tap water can also be hazardous to the Venus flytrap due to the presence of chlorine and other chemicals. Instead of tap water, the Venus flytrap does best when watered with pure filtered water or set outside in the rain.

Decline of Natural Habitat

The growth and development along the coast of North and South Carolina threatens the population of the Venus flytrap that remain in the wild. State botany records reveal that 80 percent of the identified flytrap populations have little to no chance of surviving or already have been irradiated. The encroaching human population also threatens Venus flytraps in nature preserves.

References

• Red Orbit: Habitat Shrinking for the Venus Flytrap
• Encyclopedia Britannica Blog: The Carnivorous Venus Flytrap
• Venus Flytrap Growing
• The Mysterious Venus Flytrap