We want a pet, they said. We’ll take care of it, they said. I wasn’t buying it. I know my kids too well to let them talk me into buying them a dog, cat or other pet because I know my wife and I will end up taking care of it. I’m sure they would love it but they are, after all, children aged 6 to 10 years old. My four kids just are not ready for all the responsibilities that come with pet ownership. On any given night half of the garage can be found strewn about our lawn while half of the clothing, that is to be neatly folded and resting inside dressers, lays about the upstairs hallway, underneath beds and any other available space. They are young, their minds are developing, they live in the moment and do not yet appreciate the long term consequences of their actions so for now pet ownership is something we aren’t ready for.
Enter the newest member of our household – a Venus fly trap (two actually because the first one quickly started dying for reasons of which we are still uncertain). We bought a second type of Venus fly trap about two weeks after the first and then miraculously the first fly trap revived and started growing new stems. Currently both fly traps share the same space and seem to be getting along just fine.
What a cool plant! We felt becoming Venus Fly Trap owners was a good first step before moving on to pet ownership. Venus fly trap care seems to be pretty easy. They require only distilled or rain water (regular tap water can harm them) and indirect sunlight (through a window). Their leafy jaws are open all day long awaiting the arrival of an unfortunate fly though we have yet to see our plants dine on an insect. We may have to wait a long while however as I read that a single fly has enough nutrients to sustain a plant for a year. I just hope we are able to keep these plants alive for a year.
the suburban naturalists 