The Venus flytrap is the most well-known species in the carnivorous plant world, and with good reason. Native to the coastal bogs of North and South Carolina, this compact, ground-hugging plant sports jaw-like traps that snap shut with surprising speed and precision. Each trap is lined with hair-like sensors; when triggered by unsuspecting insects (usually after two contacts), the trap closes in a fraction of a second, forming a green cage. The plant then secretes digestive enzymes and absorbs nutrients over several days before reopening. It’s nature’s version of a mousetrap, but much cooler, and completely plant-powered.

Flytraps may look intimidating, but caring for them is simpler than you'd think. They thrive in full sun, and need consistently damp soil with high acidity such as a mix of peat moss and perlite. They prefer pure water such as rain, distilled, or reverse osmosis, and they enter a dormant phase in winter where growth slows and traps die back.