10 Pretty Carnivorous Plants That Eat Bugs

Cobra Lily (Darlingtonia californica)

Cobra lily (Darlingtonia californica), which also goes by the name of California pitcher plant, is closely related to the other carnivorous pitcher plants in the Sarraceniaceae family. The most common of the common names was coined because the flower resembles the head of a cobra snake prepared to strike. These weird good-looks make these it fun to grow cobra lily for the sheer novelty.

The mechanism by which pitcher plants kill insects is to hold water in a specialized leaf structure shaped like a pitcher. Small downward pointing hairs prevent the insect from escaping.

Native to southern Oregon and Northern California, the cobra lily can grow to as much as 39 inches tall. This is quite a difficult plant to grow in cultivation; it's best to simply appreciate it when you spot the plant while hiking in a native area along bogs and stream banks.

• USDA Growing Zones: 6–9
• Color Varieties: Flowers are yellow to purplish green
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Soil Needs: Gravelly, boggy soil saturated with cold water

Purple Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea)

There are a number of carnivorous pitcher plants native to North America. Most are native to the Southeast, but an exception is Sarracenia pupurea, commonly known as purple pitcher plant, which is native to the eastern seaboard and Great Lakes region. One subspecies, (Sarracenia purpurea subsp. purpurea), is native to the North-Central U.S. from New Jersey north to Canada. The nodding pitchers on this cold-hardy plant grow 6 to 8 inches long and are quite attractive. The southern subspecies, Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa, is native to the eastern seaboard south of New Jersey into Georgia.

This is another plant that is very tricky to grow, requiring just-right soil conditions. It is most often grown in specialized bog gardens.

• USDA Growing Zones: 3–6 (depending on subspecies)
• Color Varieties: Flowers are red; pitchers are greenish
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Needs: Boggy, acidic

Yellow Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia flava)

The pitcher plant is so-called because its modified leaf structure is shaped like a vessel to hold and pour liquid. In the case of Sarracenia flava, the pitcher is yellow in color, blooming in April to May on plants that grow 1 to 3 feet high in sandy, boggy areas in the Southeast U.S.

• USDA Growing Zones: 6–8
• Color Varieties: Flowers are yellow; pitchers are medium green
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Needs: Boggy, humusy, acidic

White Trumpet Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia leucophylla)

Many find white trumpet pitcher plants (Sarracenia leucophylla) the prettiest of the carnivorous plants. Native to the Southeast, these pitchers can have stunning, dark veins in a pattern that stands out nicely against the ​pure white background. The plant grows 1 to 3 feet tall and blooms in April and May. This particular pitcher plant is fairly easy to grow in a small water garden.

• USDA Growing Zones: 7–9
• Color Varieties: Pitchers are white with dark veins; flowers are red
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Needs: Boggy, humusy, acidic

Tropical Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes spp.)

In addition to the North American species, there are also tropical pitcher plants hailing mainly from lands that border the Indian Ocean. Many are woody vines, and these may be the weirdest of all the carnivorous plants. Their pitchers hang down, reminding you of the powder horn that hung down off Daniel Boone's shoulder.

The Nepenthes genus contains more than 150 species, some so large (N. rajah and N. rafflesiana) that small mammals, lizards, and birds have been trapped in them. Some common selections for indoor cultivation include Nepenthes x alata, N. x copelandii, N. fusca, and N. sanguinea. But like most carnivorous plants, these species are difficult to nurture and are usually grown by enthusiasts, not casual gardeners.

• USDA Growing Zones: 10–11; usually grown in greenhouses
• Color Varieties: Depends on species
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to full shade (depends on species)
• Soil Needs: Sphagnum moss in pots is the usual growing medium

Sun Pitcher Plant (Heliamphora spp.)

The genus Heliamphora contains more than 20 species native to South America, known collectively as sun pitcher plants. Like the species from the Nepenthes and Sarracenia genera, these plants have evolved modified leaf structures with a pitcher-like shape that holds water to drown insects. The length of the pitcher structure can range from 6 to 16 inches long, depending on species.

These are among the most difficult of all the pitcher plants to grow in cultivation. Precise temperatures and very high humidity levels must be maintained in order for them to survive.

• USDA Growing Zones: Varies by species; most are tropicals (zones10–11)
• Color Varieties: Depends on species
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade (depends by species)
• Soil Needs: Usually grown in sphagnum moss as potted plants

Western Australian Pitcher Plant (Cephalotus follicularis)

Western Australian pitcher plant (Cephalotus follicularis) is among the smallest of the pitcher plants, with pitchers that are just 1 to 11/2 inches long. But the stripes on the pitchers make them very pretty. The 'Eden Black' cultivar is dark enough to qualify as that rarest of the rare—a black plant.

• USDA Growing Zones: 8–11
• Color Varieties: Green to dark purple pitchers; indistinct flowers are whitish
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Needs: Usually grown is sphagnum moss as a potted plant

Sundew (Drosera spp.)

Sundews (Drosera spp.) are pretty plants that get their common name from the shimmering of the sticky secretions that cover the hairs protruding from leaves. Unlike the many pitcher plants, which trap passively, sundews respond actively to touch; the hair-like tentacles literally reach out for the insect once any contact is sensed. In some species, the leaves themselves will then curl up to engulf the insect.

Sundews of various types are native to every continent except Antarctica. They range from extremely tiny plants no larger than a penny to species the size of small bushes. The species most commonly sold in nurseries include D. capensis, (Cape sundew, zones 9-11), D. aliciae (Alice sundew, zones 6-8) and D. spatulata (spoon-leaved sundew, zones 8-10).

• USDA Growing Zones: 6–11 (depends on species)
• Color Varieties: Flower color varies by species; leaf rosettes are generally reddish
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade (depends on species)
• Soil Needs: Usually grown in a mixture of peat, sand, and perlite (carnivorous plant soil mix)

Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)

Probably more people are familiar with Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) than with any of the other carnivorous plants. Not only are they commonly sold as houseplants, but they have also appeared (in exaggerated forms) in numerous science fiction movies, including Little Shop of Horrors. 

While many carnivorous plants trap insects passively—just lying in wait for them— Venus flytraps are different. The trapping mechanism actively moves. An insect is lured in by nectar, then once it is inside the modified leaf structure and touches trigger hairs, the trap is sprung—the "jaws" close down and the insect can't get out. The mechanism is quite complex, since the hairs need to be touched twice in close succession for the plant to assure itself that the prey is real. In a flash, the jaws snap shut around the insect and digestion begins.

Native to just one small area in the Carolinas, the typical Venus flytrap measures about 6 inches high and wide, with a trap about 1 inch long, though larger cultivars have been developed for commercial sale.

• USDA Growing Zones: 5–8 (requires winter protection in zone 5-6)
• Color Varieties: Indistinct flowers are white
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Soil Needs: Boggy, humusy, acidic

Bladderworts (Utricularia spp.)

This last category of carnivorous plants has the most complicated and ingenious trapping mechanism. Comprising more than 200 species, the plants in the Utricularia genus are aquatic or terrestrial wetland plants that actually suck water in by means of an elastic bean-shaped bladder that snaps open when trigger hairs are touched by some tiny creature, such as a daphnia (water flea). The sudden opening of the empty bladder draws in water and whatever unfortunate creature is present, much the way a syringe draws in liquid when the plunger is drawn back. The plant then slowly squeezes the water back out through filtering membranes. The tiny creature is trapped inside.

There are both terrestrial and aquatic forms of Utricularia, with species found on every continent except Antarctica. Terrestrial species tend to be smaller and to eat tinier prey, such as protozoa. The aquatic types perform the service of eating mosquito larvae, among other prey.

• USDA Growing Zones: 4–11 (depends on species)
• Color Varieties: Yellow, blue, purple (depends on species)
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade (depends on species)
• Soil Needs: Boggy or aquatic conditions