Plant poaching was a topic we lightly addressed today.
It’s becoming a problem for carnivourus plants in the United States, particularlty for Venus Fly Traps in North Carolina, where roadside stands sell the plants on the black market.
The state department of agriculture is working to address the issue, but admits its policy is lax. Fines are relatively low ($200) and arrests are exceedingly rare.
Poaching is just one problem. Toxic runoff and nitrogen depletion are bigger issues.
Carnivorous plants like the venus fly trap are notoriously picky. Their considerable eccentricities have confined their native area to small slivers of land in the Carolinas, where nutriet-depleted soil mingles with boggy conditions and lots of sunlight.
Fewer than 150,000 plants live in the wild in roughly 100 known sites, and the number is dwindling.
Will they be able to adapt and survive?