MYRTLE BEACH AND LORIS, S.C. — Venus flytraps are unique, and they are one of the rarest plants in the world. And it is native only to the coastal area of South Carolina and North Carolina.
The natural wild population of the plant is concentrated within an approximate 80-mile radius from Myrtle Beach to Wilmington, said LeRoy Humphries, SCDNR Region 4 Heritage Preserve Coordinator.
Horry County is the only county in South Carolina where Venus flytraps still grow naturally. And the plant really takes root in the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve, that Humphries manages, off of International Drive, near Carolina Forest.
Horry County’s role in flytrap lore has not gone unnoticed. In May, the Friends of Lewis Ocean Bay Preserve hosted the first-ever Flytrap Festival to celebrate wild Venus flytraps. The four-day event featured a Flytrap 5K and a conservation fair, with guided tours of the preserve…