Aug. 6. By Dave Yochum. The Venus flytrap—the iconic carnivorous plant that traps insects in its leaves—is at risk of becoming extinct. They’ve been in all kinds of movies, from Nosferatu (1922) to Little Shop of Horrors (1986) but who knew Venus flytraps hailed from North Carolina?

Turns out, they only appear naturally within a 60- to 70-mile radius of Wilmington.

NC’s State Carnivorous Plant

Indeed, in 2005, the Venus flytrap was designated as the state carnivorous plant of North Carolina, not that there was a lot of competition in that category.

Poachers

Sadly, you can walk into pretty much any garden or pet store in the U.S. and find one for sale. Poachers uproot the plant, strip off the trap, and take just the root bulb, according to the NC Wildlife Federation.

Development is also draining their bog habitats; roughly 70 percent of historic flytrap habitat is gone.

Save them

NCWF is partnering with Carolina Beach State Park to restore flytrap habitat. Later this month, they’ll plant flytraps, moss and pitcher plants at the park as well as educational signs to raise awareness about Venus flytraps in the wild, the reason for their decline, and how people can help.

They have a fundraising campaign under way now. Click here for more information.