Technical Difficulties

The design of Audrey II's tiny terrarium is much better than that of Audrey I's. This one has holes in the top such that small insects can actually be lured to their doom.

Audrey has caught something.

I am so geeked.

Some of you may remember Audrey, the Venus flytrap who committed suicide by jumping off the window sill. Twice.

I've been looking for a replacement for Audrey (or maybe two), with very little luck. The place where I got it has never had Venus flytraps again, and those available in places like Loew's (and thank you, whoever it was who mentioned having seen them there) are sad unhealthy-looking specimens, and I only barely don't have a black thumb to start out with.

The Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries had dozens of VFTs, healthy, happy ... and half a continent, a two-day train journey, plus bus and car travel away from home. Enh, we said. Maybe not.

But they also had Grow Your Own Venus Flytrap kits (including one cheap plastic pot, one tablet of compressed compost, and a baggie of VFT seeds mixed with silver sand. VFT seeds are very very small.). Which were cheap and easily transportable, and, well, who knows? Maybe it will work, if you're smart enough not to follow their directions.

So yesterday we bought a fishbowl, and today I sowed the VFT seeds in a DIY terrarium, consisting of the fishbowl, some potting soil, the compressed compost, a piece of plastic wrap, and a rubber band.

I shall be very interested indeed to see if anything actually grows.

And if it doesn't, I'll just keep looking.