Population growth threatens native plant species, like Venus flytrap

(The Center Square) – North Carolina’s population growth may be good for the state’s economy, but at the same time could spell trouble for endangered plant species such as the carnivorous Venus flytrap, according Julie Moore, chairwoman of the North Carolina Plant Conservation board.

Some areas of coastal North Carolina and South Carolina are among the fastest-growing counties in the country, Moore told The Center Square.

“That’s where most of the flytraps live,” she said.

According to the state Extension Office connected to N.C. State University, the Venus flytrap "originates from the subtropical wetlands of the Carolina coast. Its native range is within a roughly 70-mile radius of Wilmington. It is one of the few carnivorous plants in the world, a subspecies that includes pitcher plants, sundews, bladderworts and butterworts."

Plant habitat is being lost to new roads, subdivisions and other development.

“It’s a weird habitat to start with,” Moore said. “It’s both wet and dry. When it’s dry you need what we call prescribed burning. The more people you have, the less they like smoke. These wetland law changes means more area is being drained so that you can put in more subdivisions.”

The conservation program has been in place for nearly a half century, Moore said.

“When it started, it was very much about permits for collecting plants like ginseng and plants that are listed by the state government as endangered,” she said. “But what’s happened over time that is so exciting is that the program has started acquiring sites that are of botanical interest.”

The state now owns 26 sites, all of them managed by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. State permits are required to access the sites.

At a recent meeting in Boone, the board toured one of the preserves.

“We climbed to the top of Tater Hill,” Moore said. “We couldn’t see a thing because it was so foggy. But it was a wonderful day.”

Animals as well as plants benefit from the state-owned preserves, said Moore, a retired botanist specializing in endangered species.

One problem, however, is that adjacent landowners sometimes cross over the boundaries into the preserves.

“They keep cutting down our trees so that they can get better views,” Moore said.

There is also “timber trespass” where people literally cut down trees on the state-owned property for the timber.

“We have a variety of threats to our property,” she said.

A larger overall threat to endangered plants is the weakening of wetland protection laws.

“Because of a Supreme Court decision about isolated wetlands, we no longer see protection of isolated wet spots – those that don’t have water that is directly connected to rivers or creeks,” Moore said. “Many rare species in North Carolina are supported by habitats that are isolated wetlands. We are getting ready to lose even more habitats and species.”

In North Carolina, those include mountain bogs and isolated wetlands on the coast that include Venus flytraps and several other rare species, Moore said.