I am waiting. Almost there.
Does anyone else have problems with the squirrels eating the flowers? I am not sure if it squirrels. Could be raccoons. I am willing to share, but I need to see my plants bloom once in a while too.
Almost there S. flava
Here's my S. flava today.
Another view of my S. flava.
Another picture of my S. flava.
Wow! That is really beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing. Do you have any other CPs? Have you seen any growing wild in your area?
This is my S. flava today from below. Both are open. :)
Yesterday before the second one opened. S. "Daina's Delight" in the background. Normally everyone is outside, but the squirrels eat them, so they are hiding on the porch. :)
I have a clump of S. purpurea in the ground, but some kind of bug is eating on them. My 7-yr. old Grandson has a baby venus flytrap in a pot - recent purchase from Lowes. I have never been able to keep vft alive for very long.
Where should I look for wild plants?
Most of the places where wild CPs are protected, but many of them are in the panhandle, and you can sometimes see them in parks and on the side of the road. I know there is outrage about a new airport in the pan handle that will destroy a huge CP habitat.
Venus Flytraps are so easy. Care for them like the S. flava. If it is still in "The Cube of Death" take it out. That's the easiest way to kill it -- keep in the cube. Get a 5 inch pot (they love space), fill it with half peat and half perlite (or sand), water well with rain or distilled water, mix the soil, trim off the old, black leaves, spray it with a fungicide like safer or neem, and gently transplant. If it is planted in pure long fiber Sphagnum moss, remove some of it before you transplant. The VFT don't like to be too wet. Keep the crown dry. Put it outside. First in filtered light for a week or so, then in full sun. Leave it out year round, even during freezes, just like the Sarracenia. Don't let it dry out. Put it in a tray or deep saucer of water.
And most important, don't snap the traps. It exhausts the plant. If your grandson likes to see the VFT snap, then give him a small insect to feed it once a week. VFT can live many eyars, and don't flower until they are 5 or so.
And in the fall do a Sarracenia autopsy with your grandson. Split one leaf and take a look inside.
Great information - I will do as you say. THANKS!
I have only seen one wild CP, lots of Utricularia subulata, growing in a flood plain of the Myakka River. I was awed. I think most sites are hidden to protect the plants from poaching.