Charles Darwin called the Venus flytrap “the most wonderful plant in the world.” Its Latin name, Dionaea muscipula, partly commemorates Venus, the goddess of beauty. It is native only to the grassy wetlands within a 100-mile radius of Cape Fear, North Carolina. The climate is warm and humid in summer and chilly to frosty in the winter, with occasional snowfall. While once abundant, the flytrap is now severely threatened due to the drainage and destruction of wet savannas for agriculture, home sites, and shopping centers.  Less than 5% of the plants survive!

Venus Flytraps are temperate plants. In autumn, they get smaller as they prepare for winter dormancy. Dormancy lasts from October to February, and the plant stops actively growing and dies back to the roots. It will start to grow vigorously in the spring. For more information, check out our Venus flytrap growing tips.

Please note: If you order Venus flytraps between October and March, they may arrive dormant. They will be significantly died back or appear quite small. Don’t let appearances fool you; they are healthy! They’re just asleep for the winter.