Flytraps are considered a threatened species for a host of reasons. Venus flytraps grow in a very specific environment. In the United States, they are present in only a 100-mile area surrounding the coastal Carolina region. The unique criteria flytraps need to thrive put them at high risk to begin with. In addition, demand for housing along the coasts of North and South Carolina is putting added strain on their rapidly shrinking habitat. Then, in an ironic twist, wildfires which actually help the growth and development of this plant species are being suppressed and controlled in order to protect the region’s growing number of residents. Finally, add poaching to the mix, and the Venus flytrap is confronting a constellation of serious threats. In recent weeks, poachers have uprooted and sold hundreds of Venus flytraps, which on the market can sell up to $15 a plant. There is a growing market for this species due to its medicinal properties. Overseas, the Venus flytrap is prized among traditional and homeopathic medicine connoisseurs, who believe the plant has anti-carcinogenic qualities along with other healing properties.