A visit with the Los Angeles Carnivorous Plant Society

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(Photo of Venus Fly Trap by Jessica Miller for LA Weekly)

Gendy Alimurung of the The LA Weekly attends a monthly meeting of the Los Angeles Carnivorous Plant Society.

Discussion turns to flies, a perennial favorite among Society members. "Do you feed one leaf at a time?" someone asks. "Meaning, on one plant, would you only put one fly on one leaf?"

"Do you feed the flies dry?" asks someone else.

"I don't feed the flies at all," Dr. Frankensnyder quips.

"You wet it, then feed it," another member advises.

"But don't get the flies wet or you'll get all kinds of mold growing in there," someone cautions. "You can get sick from sniffing it."

"Don't be sniffing your dried flies, guys!" still another knowledgeable member of the society chimes in.

Feed Me! Carnivorous Plants and the Bloody-Fingered People Who Love Them