FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Although it only happens at the end fo the month, Halloween dominates the month of October. Nothing says "Halloween" more than the phrase "Trick or Treat", and that is the theme of this month's contest. Your entry this month can be a trick, or a treat. Allow me to explain.

A trick may be a plant that you got that was clearly not what you had expected. A small plant that was actually a large, a mislabeled Nepenthes from Pikes (I wonder whom that happened to?), a long awaited pitcher that never opened, you get the idea. Anything that played a trick on you, good or bad.

A treat is something about your hobby that pleased you this year. It may be the aquisition of a plant that has long been on your want list. Or maybe you were able to sprout a cross of your own making. Or maybe it is a particularly spectacular trap that grew. Anything that you might consider a pleasant surprise.

Here are the rules:

1. You can submit 1 photograph for this contest.
2. It must be your own picture.
3. Pictures shared in previous contests are not eligible.
4. Minimally edited photos only. No effects, or filters. Cropping is okay.
5. The winner will be the entry with the highest number of thumbs up (likes) votes. In the case of a tie, the entry that reached the vote total first (by day) wins. If that ties, then we go into a 24 hour run-off.
6. Only votes from members with at least 5 posts will count.
7. Members who have won within the past three months are not eligible for prizes but you can still enter.
8. This contest is open internationally, although there will be an alternate prizes for international winners.

And what is Halloween without a spooky monster? Keeping with that theme, this month's prize is a Polish Dracula flytrap from @Matt and Leah with The Flytrap Store.



From the Flytrap Store website:

"Polish Dracula" originates from an unknown grower in Poland. "Polish Dracula" has short, pointy teeth that often develop a red coloration which are reminiscent of blood-stained vampire fangs! It's an upright grower (when not Dormant), a beautiful vicious Flytrap! Note: Interestingly, the saw-tooth development for Polish Dracula is seasonal, showing up most strongly in the Summer. Unlike Trev Cox's Dracula, which tends to have a more compact, low-growing growth habit, "Polish Dracula" has large traps on long leaves. But similar to Trev Cox's 'Dracula', "Polish Dracula" is capable of attaining excellent deep red interior trap coloration that sometimes "bleeds" onto the teeth and outside of the trap.

So don your costume and show us your favorite 'trick' or 'treat'!

First up!

I'll go with this 'treat' i won from a giveaway hosted by blackfeather666.

He gave away a cutting that turned into a beautiful plant. I recently paid it forward and gave it to a friend.

"Treat"- In the summer of 2022, I crossed my D. capensis 'Wide Leaf' and my D. capensis 'Red', both of which came from FTC forum members. Shortly after, I lost nearly all the sundews in my collection due to squirrels and a tree falling on my greenhouse . I lost all my D. filiformis forms, and all that remained were a few D. capensis... However, I had the seeds from this cross saved, so I decided to start them. The seeds from this batch have been a fun lot. Most had wide paddle shaped leaves, and leaves that blushed pink. Here's one of them, which is digesting a fungus gnat.

"Trick" but also "treat" CPN sold this to me as "D. binata small red form" but I much prefer this plant.

Earlier this year, I posted to ask what the heck were these things in my water tray. Tadpoles, they said. Totally harmless, they reassured me.
6 months later...

A L I E N Treat

Thought this was a bit scary and would fit the halloween theme.

wcrosman wrote: ↑Tue Oct 03, 2023 4:42 pm Thought this was a bit scary and would fit the halloween theme.

Pretty cool, but the contest is for plant photos.

Panman wrote: ↑Tue Oct 03, 2023 4:45 pm

wcrosman wrote: ↑Tue Oct 03, 2023 4:42 pm Thought this was a bit scary and would fit the halloween theme.

Pretty cool, but the contest is for plant photos.

No prob. Don’t think I am eligible to win anyway. Delete if you want.

I'll go with this one for a Treat. This was my first Sarracenia that was given to me by my son. Spider setting up shop. Unfortunately I gave it back to him this spring and he neglected to water it so it is history.

As I alluded to in the first post, I got this Nepenthes at a Lowes store. It was labeled as ventricosa but it is clearly not. General consensus is that it is a sanguinea but it is labeled as aff. sanguinea to denote its dubious parentage.

Edit: Yes, I said Pikes but it was actually a Lowes death cube.

optique wrote: ↑Tue Oct 03, 2023 2:41 am "Trick" but also "treat" CPN sold this to me as "D. binata small red form" but I much prefer this plant.

Neither small nor red, but definitely stunning. Is that a dichotoma?

Panman wrote: ↑Tue Oct 03, 2023 6:15 pm

optique wrote: ↑Tue Oct 03, 2023 2:41 am "Trick" but also "treat" CPN sold this to me as "D. binata small red form" but I much prefer this plant.

Neither small nor red, but definitely stunning. Is that a dichotoma?

dichotoma is the only other binata they had for sale so i think it is.

Stratofortress wrote: ↑Tue Oct 03, 2023 3:16 am A L I E N Treat
IMG_0156.jpeg

I like the piece of debris on the new, developing trap on the left. Looks like the leg or claw of something “unpleasant “ about to creep around the corner.

I apologize for being slack in my duties. We're over 2 weeks into the contest and I haven't done any updates. Here are our current standings:
elaineo 8
thepitchergrower 4
andynorth 3
optique 3
slicric78 3
Stratofortress 3
Panman 2

Even though elaineo has a commanding lead, there is still plenty of time for you to submit your entries and vote for your favorites!