"V" is for the Venus flytrap. Often described as the most unusual plant on earth, the Venus flytrap is a terrestrial bug-eating plant native to a small section of South Carolina and North Carolina. It produces highly modified leaves that act as active trapping mechanisms that snap shut when small insects crawl across the leaf. The leaves contain nectar glands that produce a sweet substance to attract insects. Small hairs on the leaf surface act as triggering mechanisms. Once the trap is triggered, it closes within a half-second trapping the insect inside; special glands on the leaf surface enable the plant to digest its meal. Then the leaf reopens. In South Carolina, the Venus flytrap is found only in areas of Georgetown and Horry counties—notably in the Lewis Ocean Bay and the Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserves.
“V” is for the Venus flytrap
