The Trip:
In April 2007, I had the pleasure of giving a talk on carnivorous plants at the North Carolina Botanical Garden at Chapel Hill. The
talk went well, and it was a pleasure speaking at a facility so rich with carnivorous plant history and lore.
After the talk was done, I hurried eastward towards Wilmington, North Carolina. Those of you who know anything
about carnivorous plants are probably already experiencing adrenaline rushes at the mere reading of the word...Wil-ming-ton. Let it
roll off the tongue slowly. Caress the syllables. Yes, I was heading to the very heart of Venus flytrap territory.
Of course, I have toured the area before, and if you want to do a little background reading, you can check out
my 2003 trip report. This trip was to be in three phases. On the first, I would spend a day in the
Wilmington, Green Swamp, and Boiling Spring area; led about by local carnivorous plant enthusiast Mark Todd. We would explore the
very core of Dionaea habitat. The second day I planned to
head north, into Onslow County, to track down plants near the northern edge of the plant's range. And on the third day, I intended to
travel south, to be led by researcher Jim Luken to see Dionaea in South Carolina, at its southern
occurrences.
I hoped the tour of so many disparate sites to be revealing. I would see plants from sites representing the whole of
Dionaea's native range!
Start the photo-essay!
