Q: Where can I see wild carnivorous plants?


Australia,
U. gibba A: Carnivorous plants are probably closer than you think. Remember, they live on every continent (except Antarctica). In the USA, they are found in every state. Alas, because many carnivorous plants are rare, and poaching is a major problem, I will not give you specifics on where to find them in the wild. This is not because I think the "individual" you will poach plants illegally from the wild (so please, no flame mail), but rather because I know that the "general" you (i.e. community of humans as a whole) does poach plants. (This goes for private citizens, school groups, and scientists.) So no specific location information appears in the FAQ.

That being said, I do list some special locations below. These are sites with boardwalks, and therefore their management staff encourages visitation. But visit only with your camera and binoculars, and do no not step off the boardwalk, because you can cause too much damage to the site. Oh, and you could die.

I will only provide some basics below--you must do some web research to find detailed instructions. It has been a while since I have visited some of these sites, and I don't want to give you bum directions. (Also, I haven't visited all of these places.) Forcing you to verify your travel instructions will increase the likelihood you'll find out if the sites still allow access. Enjoy your research, and thank me for my laziness!

Canada

Tourbiere Lanaudiere:
Lanoraie Quebec--Sarracenia purpurea, D. rotundifolia, and no doubt other carnivorous plants. Boardwalk accessible. I haven't been there but Trent G told me about it.
Web site.

USA


Louisiana Big Thicket:
North of Beaumont, Texas--Sarracenia alata and other Texas species
A "pitcher plant trail" and a "sundew trail" are both set up for visitors. A bit of web research should get you detailed instructions.
See my trip report.

Carolina Beach State Park:
South of Wilmington, North Carolina--Dionaea and probably others
They have a "Flytrap trail" for visitors. I saw a few plants on the trail, but had better views of other carnivorous plants there, instead, like sundews and bladderworts.

Chattahoochee Nature Center:
Roswell, Georgia--various species
Their web site indicates all kinds of interesting boardwalk and forest trails, including carnivorous plant displays.

Crosby Arboretum:
Picayune, Mississippi--various species
Not only does this arboretum participate in occasional bog rescues, but their bog area has at least two species of Sarracenia and probably Drosera, Utricularia, and Pinguicula.


Darlingtonia
live here Darlingtonia wayside:
Florence, Oregon--Darlingtonia, Drosera rotundifolia
A few km north of Florence, look for the sign for the Darlingtonia wayside. The plants are about 2 minutes away from the parking site, along a wheelchair accessible path. When I was there in 2001, I also saw some Drosera rotundifolia growing on the Sphagnum. The neighbors across the street have orders to "shoot to kill" anyone seen running off with poached plants, by the way.

Fakahatchee Strand:
Copeland, Florida--Utricularia
A jewel of a bog site, although there aren't quite so many species of carnivores. See my trip report.

Okefenokee Swamp:
Folkston, Georgia--all sorts of things
You might need to get on a canoe ride to see the cool things, but tours are frequent. See my trip report.

Volo Bog:
Ingleside, Illinois--Drosera, Sarracenia purpurea
A nice site for viewing bog succession.

Webb's Mill Bog:
Whiting, New Jersey--many species
A great many species, as I describe in my trip report for New Jersey.

Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve:
Mobile bay area, Alabama--many species
The education coordinator at Weeks Bay tells me that the boardwalk-accessible bog has at least five species of Sarracenia and three Drosera. Utricularia have to be there, too.

Page citations: Rice, B.A. 2001a; personal observations; reader contributions.