Abigail Enos Leadership Project

My leadership project this year is to plan a carnivorous plants display for the Conservatory. I was inspired to do this by a child who was visiting the Conservatory with his family. He came in, and loudly proclaimed he wanted to see the “chompers.” This made me smile, and I went up to him and said that we did not have “chompers”, but we did have two other carnivorous plant specimens in the Conservatory that I could show him. As someone interested in carnivorous plants myself, I wished I could’ve shown him more.

This made me realize that carnivorous plants are an untapped opportunity for a permanent Conservatory display. We already have butterwort and tropical pitcher plants, so there is a start. Venus flytraps (or, chompers), North American pitcher plants, and sundews are all common varieties of carnivorous plants. They would fit in wonderfully with the Conservatory with just a little rearranging. Adding these plants would make a small, yet very educational display that would further engage visitors with the Conservatory. I’ve found that all ages can find something interesting in the realm of carnivorous plants, so this would be an appeal for children and adults alike!

Caption: One of the butterwort plants in the Conservatory. Butterworts catch bugs via a sticky coating on their leaves. This coating is rubbed off if you touch it, hence the “do not touch” sign.

— Abigail Enos