Drosera

My little drosera.

Venus Flytrap (still blooming)

Wow!  My Venus flytrap is still outside in the Tucson heat.  It gets morning sun then, afternoon shade.  At about noon, the shade comes in.  The flytrap is still blooming!  I think it has sent up about 4 bloom stalks.  I do have to admit, I am amazed at the heat and dryness it has taken.  I think now with the monsoon, it will feel more like home to it.

Cook’ Seeds (Drosera and VFT)

Some of the seeds I planted have started to sprout! They are barely visible, but they are there.

2008 05 01

2008 05 11

2008 07 20

2008 05 01

2008 05 11

2008 07 20

Drosera (from Cook’s)

These are the little guys from Cook’s. They are quite small, but have already grown new leaves.

Drosera Alicea

Drosera filiformis tracii

Drosera hybrid

Venus Flytrap (more blooms)

So, it’s basically the same bloom type, but two flowers opened up together.  You can kind of see where the last one closed up.  This little guy is still outside enjoying the sunshine.

Venus Flytrap Bloom Stalk Progress – Bloom opened

Well, my Venus Flytrap bloom finally opened up. Here is a picture. Note the size of the plant is shrinking.

I should also remind myself that this guy is outside in a pot.  It has been for a few months.  It gets morning sun and afternoon shade.  I am thinking about keeping it outside during summer.

Venus Flytrap Bloom Stalk Progress

 I figured I’d let my VFT continue it’s bloom. If it dies, oh well. It still has mealy bugs, so it wouldn’t be a huge loss. I might as well enjoy the bloom before it dies. Plus, I just ordered Venus flytrap and drosera seeds.

My second Venus Flytrap

I bought my new little guy at Target. Look at how pretty it is.

Drosera

My drosera from Lowe’s was once a very dewy plant. Not anymore. A bloom spike came up and one bud opened today. I decided it was time to re-pot, since it didn’t seem like it was in great shape anymore. When I turned it upside down, I saw that it was infested with mealy bugs. Blasted creatures! They have been a plague. Most of my indoor plants have now been affected by them. At least I was able to get one final (sharp-ish) picture. If you click on the picture below, you will see the horrible death some fungus gnats suffered:)

A closeup of the bloom.

And…one of it’s babies.

Venus Flytrap

I am a little scared about the health of my Venus flytrap. I have been battling mealy bugs for a few months. First they took over my slipper orchids, then they moved to my coffee plants and then they began attacking my Venus flytrap. I took it outside and squirted them all with the hose, after applying a few coats of alcohol with cotton balls and cotton swabs, attempting to kill those little buggers. Our water here in Tucson is hard and I don’t think the Venus flytraps like it too much, but it’s either that or be taken over by the mealy bugs. It has died back some, mostly because I had to cut some of the traps off. It does seem to be liking the morning sun. The color of the traps turned from all green to green and red. I find it quite pretty. I am still a little worried, especially since it sent a bloom spike up. I’m wondering if I should yank it. I’ve read that after it flowers it dies. I don’t want it to die. I wonder if it’s too late to tear off the bloom spike.