Where is the food trap?

Why does my venus fly trap not eat its food?

• I fed it a midge and it stayed closed for 2 days and then it opened up again. Does not like the food?

• Answer:

  I have a terrarium of carnivorous plants, about half of which are Venus Fly Traps. Truthfully, I don't feed them at all. I mostly keep my terrarium outside. Enough flies and other bugs go in on their own that I don't have to bother. It's actually really easy to accidentally overfeed your flytraps, or to feed them improperly... on top of that, each plant can remain healthy even if they are only catching something once a year (though a little more than that is optimal.) Really, my biggest concern has always been making sure they don't get too much or too little water, and making sure they don't overheat by having the terrarium in direct sun with the adjustable lid closed too much. (It can get hot in a terrarium REALLY fast.) I have a friend that just decided to plant her Venus Fly Traps straight in the ground in her walkway, and despite totally inproper soil conditions, they actually seem to be doing okay. FYI, Flytraps are endangered in the wild, and native to bogs in parts of North and South Carolina where it is illegal to disturb them. However, naturalized populations (transported and planted by humans) also exist in parts of Florida and New Jersey. (Apparently, they can thrive even in the cold winters of NJ) You may find that your plant can live happily in your backyard, catching things on its own as nature intended, if you give it a chance. The website I am linking below is the absolute BEST site explaning in detail how to care for a Venus Fly Trap (and many other carnivorous plants.) I attribute this site for my personal success in maintaining my collection of plants (I've had them for several years now.)