Don’t be deceived like the spider and the ant: This plant is a predator, designed to kill. Drawn by glistening nectar glands, an insect touches off trigger-like plant hairs rooted in a hinged leaf blade. There’s no escape: Electricity pulses through the plant at four inches per second. Special cells react, tripping the leaf trap that can snap shut in less than one-tenth of a second. If that weren’t horrifying enough, the Venus flytrap then begins its denouement: Digesting its prey with specialized enzymes. Stewed bug, served cold. Yummy.
Venus flytraps love the Carolinas: The carnivorous plants grow natively in the coastal bogs around Wilmington.
In the latest episode of Away Message, we find out how a quiet place in the foothills went crazy for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
This year, we’ll wave flags in Wilmington and Waynesville, fire up the grill in Fayetteville and Fuquay-Varina. Most of all, we’ll reflect on the earliest days of our country and the true meaning of Independence Day.
Blackberry cobbler, peach ice cream, spiked blueberry lemonade, and tacos with watermelon pico de gallo: These fresh fruit recipes are fit for a Fourth of July feast — and all summer long.
Find out what an award-winning photographer and an expert guide have to say about chasing North Carolina’s stunning cascades — and how to snap frame-worthy photos of your favorite falls.
