Venus flytraps are breaking the internet, but they’re not the only game in town. Here’s how to start—and care for—your own Little Shop of Horrors.

The Carnivorous Plant That's Taking Over TikTok -- and Its Hungry Friends
Carla Anne

You love plants, but you HATE flies (and fungus gnats, and mosquitos). Enter the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), a hungry stunner with long eyelashes (they form a cage, actually) who’s having her 15 minutes of fame online. Seriously, this one is so popular you’d think she was staring in her own spine-chilling true-crime podcast. One TikTok search led to seemingly bottomless posts, while a single video of a Venus flytrap with indigestion has gotten more than 20 million views.

Okay, so you want your plants to live a life of crime. But if you want to get into carnivorous plants, you need to know how to care for them. Yes, they can thrive in a wide variety of conditions and apparently make for great social media content, but they abhor fertilizer, need bright light, and are sensitive to minerals and chlorine in the water (use distilled water or collect rainwater). Keep in mind these meat-eaters need to be fed up to a couple of times a month. If your house isn’t buggy, freeze-dried insects can be ordered online.

Here, some of the best carnivorous plants to grow inside, with how-to tips. If TikTok is any indication, these plants are addictive. Then again, if you do find yourself binge-watching plant enzyme digestion, one of the best carnivorous plant dealers happens to be here in the West.

Here Are Seven Killer Plant Ideas, with Tips on How to Care for Them