What Animals Are Compatible With the Venus Fly Trap?

The Tropical Plant

• The Venus flytrap is a tropical plant originating from the swamplands of North and South Carolina. It must live in an environment with at least 50 percent humidity. A terrarium will provide your Venus with the perfect environment for it to grow and thrive. If your Venus is planted in a regular pot, it will need regular mist and adequate watering. The soil should always be damp. You can also use a humidifier to provide humidity to your Venus, or place it on a saucer or tray on top of a mixture of gravel and water.

Soil, Water and Light

• When you bring your Venus home, it will probably be in a transparent cup with a domed lid. Water it with distilled water or water purified by reverse osmosis. You will need to repot your Venus as soon as possible. The soil that you use should be free of plant food and fertilizer, as those agents will burn the plant's roots and cause it to die. The Venus needs 12 hours of light a day, with at least four of those hours in direct sunlight.

The Carnivore

• The Venus flytrap needs to ingest insects. Tiny, stiff hairs called cilia grow out of the exposed portion of the Venus leaf. When an insect lands on the leaf and touches one of the hairs, it alerts the Venus that there is movement. When a second hair is touched, the leaves snap shut and form an air-tight seal over the insect. The cilia hold the insect in place while the Venus secretes digestive fluids and digests the inner part of the insect. The Venus only needs two or three insects a month.

Digestive System

• The Venus flytrap secrets an antiseptic fluid while digesting its prey. This purifies the insect during the digestive process. Without this purification, the dead insect would rot and kill the Venus flytrap. In 5 to 12 days, the Venus reabsorbs its digestive fluids and its leaves open. The remaining exoskeleton of the digested insect is either blown away by wind or washed away by the rain.

Dormancy

• The Venus flytrap is a perennial, meaning that it flourishes in the spring and summer and dies back in the winter. While it is dormant, the Venus flytrap stores up reserves of energy within its roots. In the spring, this stored energy regenerates the plant, and it begins to grow and bloom. It is best to pinch off the flower buds from the Venus as soon as you see them. Flowering depletes the plant's energy.