Venus Flytraps Are Back at Trader Joe’s

Just in time for Earth Month, your favorite grocer has decided to bring back a plant that will make you go, “oh, snap!”

Trader Joe’s is once again selling Venus flytraps, which are priced at $4.99 each. In a video from Instagram account @traderjoesobsessed, we see the carnivorous houseplant in a plastic container, with several alien-like mouths sticking out of the soil. 

The plant was described by Charles Darwin as “one of the most wonderful in the world,” and you can see why. It’s not only unique in appearance, but also in the manner it nourishes itself: by attracting bugs via pollen on its trap, shutting once the insect makes contact with it, and then dissolving its prey alive.

Take note that though it may be entertaining and cool, a Venus flytrap can be difficult to take care of and grow. A native of boggy areas in North and South Carolina, this perennial grows in damp, acidic soils in full sun, and requires humid environments.

As for food, the plant can catch insects on its own when placed outdoors. Indoors, it might need you to give it bugs such as flies and spiders every few weeks. Make sure to use tweezers and to choose small insects a third of the size of its trap.

For those too squeamish for such a houseplant, there are other options available at Trader Joe’s in celebration of Earth Month. For instance, in the same video, the store has daffodils for $1.99, hydrangeas for $9.99, tulips for $5.99, and a Happy Seedling the Starter Plant for $5.99, among others.