Living like a local: Nature with a bite

Sep 13, 2022 • 3 min. read | By Karen Bright

(photo of Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden, courtesy of the city of Wilmington)

 

“Feed me, Seymour!” For me, these words will always conjure up Rick Moranis lovingly feeding his space alien version of a hybrid Venus’ flytrap as it steadily grows more greedy, more carnivorous and more wild. 

 

The movie Little Shop of Horrors gives viewers a little taste of fear, humor and outrageousness that only Hollywood can. This movie was my first introduction to the Venus’ flytrap. I was surprised to learn when I moved to Wilmington as an adult that the Venus’ flytrap and its other, less-famous carnivorous plants are indigenous to Wilmington. 

 

This is the only place in the world where it grows in the wild. You will only find it within 75 to 100 miles of Wilmington, which I personally think gives us bragging rights!  

 

As if there weren’t enough reasons to come visit the area – the ocean, the beaches, the seafood and the historic downtown – we can now add botanical delights to the list of which I am sure the Venus’ flytrap is just the root of the stem. I guess I could say tip of the iceberg, but, you know, plant jokes. 

 

If you don’t feel like traipsing through the wilds of Wilmington and its surrounding area – including the nearly 13,000-acre Green Swamp Preserve in Brunswick County – then you can visit the Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden located right in the heart of Wilmington. 

 

It is a ¾-acre patch of land at 3800 Canterbury Road behind Alderman Elementary School that is dedicated only to these plants indigenous to our area. 

 

Be warned though, it is illegal to remove the protected plants from the wild – state penalties increased after poachers raided the plants from the Wilmington garden in 2013. So look, but don’t pick.

 

When you are in the Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden, part of the Piney Ridge Nature Preserve, you will never know you’re in the center of a bustling city. It is quiet except for the sing-song sounds of wildlife. You can walk on the wide and accommodating sidewalk, view the plant life from the overlook deck or even walk along the stepping path through the middle of all the greenery and view the meat-eating plants in their natural habitat. 

 

There are plaques that are filled with tons of information and fun facts about the plant life up and down the pathway. If you don’t want to get into the nitty-gritty of the actual grasses, city parks officials have thoughtfully maintained flower boxes with the three different carnivorous plants on the overlook deck. 

 

They are sundews, pitcher plants and our most famous, the Venus’ flytrap. I will not give away too much information about these incredible plants. I will let you visit this sanctuary and carnivorous garden for yourselves. I will say that the Venus’ flytrap can trap and eat a frog, and it is clever enough not to trap bees, ensuring its pollination and survival. Nature is incredible! 

 

When you go visit the Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden you will not hear any of these plants yell “feed me,” however all of them are a great reason to see more Wilmington.

 

Info: City of Wilmington’s Piney Ridge Nature Preserve