The
Venus flytrap (also referred to as
Venus's flytrap or
Venus' flytrap),
Dionaea muscipula, is a
carnivorous plant native to
subtropical wetlands on the
East Coast of the
United States in
North Carolina and
South Carolina. It catches its prey — chiefly
insects and
arachnids — with a trapping structure formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves, which is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap closes if a different hair is contacted within twenty seconds of the first strike. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against wasting energy by trapping objects with no nutritional value.