When he was a kid growing up in St. Louis, Matt Miller had an annual tradition. He and his family would visit the Missouri Botanical Garden, and he would buy a Venus flytrap.
“I’d torture it all summer and then watch it die in the fall because I didn't know how to take care of them,” Miller said with a laugh. “But I had all kinds of books on carnivorous plants, and I was really into growing them.”
Years later, Miller was living out west and saw one of the plants at a Walmart. He decided to try again. That kicked off a hobby, maybe an obsession, that eventually turned into FlyTrapStore.com, a carnivorous plant business he co-owns with his wife, Leah.
On Saturday, Miller and his fellow meat-eating plant enthusiasts will be at the Missouri Botanical Garden for the St. Louis Carnivorous Plant Society’s annual show and sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The event will feature display plants grown by society members, a spread of hungry plants for sale by Miller and another vendor, Danger Lettuce, and a touch section, where children and adults alike are invited to handle some of the plants.
For many people, the Venus flytrap is a gateway to carnivorous plants, Miller said.
“They're just the poster child for the carnivorous plant world,” he said. “I mean, it's obviously fascinating to anyone when a plant can move with rapid speed, and they move shockingly fast when they do snap shut.”
But there will be many more meat-eating plants at Saturday’s show, including Bladderwort. (Some Bladderwort varieties are native to Missouri and are the state’s only carnivorous plant.)
Society President Jessica Ely was introduced to the plants by an aunt, who brought her to the society’s meetings.
“They’re cool, they're interesting. Some of them move,” Ely said. “They eat bugs. They're not like normal plants. So then I've kind of been hooked ever since.”
Ely now has hundreds of plants at home. The society she leads gives regular presentations, and members swap plants. She also speaks at libraries and other events to get more people interested in carnivorous plants.
“It just taps into something that's a little childlike,” Ely said. “I mean, it's neat to see a plant move. I think it still kind of inspires wonder at any age.”
Miller and his wife moved their lives and business to Missouri in 2021, loading up a truck full of their carnivorous plants and driving from Oregon.
Last year, the MOBOT event was their first time selling carnivorous plants in person. Miller said they sold out in about 90 minutes.
“I didn't realize how much of a market there would be for in-person sales,” he said.
After seeing the interest at last year’s event, Miller and his wife started selling at the Arnold Farmer’s Market. And for this year’s show, he’s bringing a lot more plants.
