Butterwort Pinguicula

A carnivorous plant with greasy leaves that curl slowly into a cup when an insect is trapped and digested by enzymes.  Its primary food is gnats.  The insects serve as nutrients for the plant, as its root system merely acts as an anchor for the plant, providing no nutrition. Butterwort can be found growing in sunny, open, wet locations throughout the southeastern US.  They do well in nutrient-poor soil.

Grow in full sun to partial shade in consistently moist soil.  Use a planting mix of whole fiber sphagnum moss or a mix of equal parts peat moss and coarse vermiculite or sharp sand.  A dormancy period is necessary to regrow and bloom each spring.  Cut back dead leaves in the winter or early spring to encourage new growth.