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Grow carnivorous plants in Ohio gardens
Mike Hogan
Special to The Columbus Dispatch
Aug. 15, 2026, 6:01 a.m. ET
- Carnivorous plants have special adaptations to attract, trap and digest live prey for nutrients.
- Several species of carnivorous plants, including pitcher plants and sundews, are native to Ohio.
- These unique plants typically grow in acidic, low-nutrient soils found in bogs and fens.
One of the things that makes horticulture and gardening so interesting and enjoyable is the variety of different plants on the planet
Nearly 400,000 different species of plants have been identified, with thousands of new species documented each year. From flowering plants that produce flowers, fruits and seeds, to ferns, mosses and algae, Kingdom Plantae is as diverse as it is large
Perhaps no type of plant is as interesting and misunderstood as carnivorous plants, which have specialized adaptations that help them attract, trap, digest and consume live prey. Best-known carnivorous plants include denizens of wetlands and swamps such as pitcher plant (Sarracenia) and Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)
Specialized plants
Carnivorous plants lure prey through the use of specialized leaves or traps, which may function as active or passive, depending on whether movement is involved in the capture. Carnivorous plants convert carbon dioxide to oxygen through photosynthesis but derive most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming insects using special leaves and fluids to break down insects
These specialized plants are often adapted to grow in acidic soil, where nutrient levels are low. Some carnivorous plants are aquatic plants found in wetland environments. Carnivorous plants typically consume a wide variety of crawling and flying insects including ants, flies, wasps, beetles, mosquitoes, moths and spiders. Larger tropical species of carnivorous plants can occasionally consume bigger prey like slugs, small frogs or rodents
Native Ohio carnivorous plants
Several carnivorous plants are native to Ohio, including purple pitcher plant (Sarraceniapurpurea), which is a hollow, water-filled plant that traps and digests insects. Sundews (Drosera rotundifolia and Drosera intermedia) are small plants with sticky, hair-covered leaves that roll up around prey and are also found in the Buckeye State. Bladderworts (Utricularia spp.) are aquatic plants rooted in mud on the bottom of Ohio wetlands and have tiny underwater suction traps
These carnivorous plants grow in acidic, low-nutrient soils contained in bogs and fens inside protected nature preserves including Brown’s Lake Bog in Shreve, Cedar Bog in Urbana and in Cranberry Bog State Nature Preserve in Buckeye Lake
Cranberry Bog is a unique floating sphagnum peat bog located in Buckeye Lake. It is a relic of the last ice age and contains rare boreal plants such as pitcher plants and sundews. Access to the bog is strictly controlled, and a special permit or guided tour from the Ohio Department of Natural Re
Growing carnivorous plants at home
Many varieties of pitcher plants can be grown outdoors in central Ohio if planted in the proper conditions. Purple pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea) will thrive when planted in full sun at the edge of a water garden. Pitcher plants and sundews can also successfully be grown outdoors in containers in hardiness zones 5 and 6
Select a container without drainage holes and fill it with a specially prepared soil media with low fertility, suitable for carnivorous plants. These plants will need to be moved indoor during harsh winters
Venus fly trap plants can be found at garden centers and can be grown in containers. I can remember my teenage son purchasing these plants and placing them outdoors among our herbaceous perennial plants during the growing season in order to learn which insects the plants would catch. These plants would need to be moved indoors as they would not survive cold Ohio winters
Mike Hogan is Extension Educator, Agriculture & Natural Reon. He can be reached at hogan.1@osu.edu
