01/31/2024
You wouldn’t expect to find them. Certainly not here. Not behind a shopping mall, or adjacent to a basketball court, or even within earshot of chainsaws and earthmovers that threatened their very existence in the first place. But they are in fact, here.
Flytraps. Venus flytraps.
They wouldn’t be here at all if not for the efforts of one man, Stanley Rehder. He’s the one that spotted them along the access road, a barren strip of land carved into the landscape allowing construction vehicles unfettered access to a build site.
As it turns out, plants were Stanley’s “thing.” They just appealed to his nurturing nature, and when Stanley saw the flytraps in peril he set out to save them.
When Stanley appeared before the developer he spoke of complexity in simplicity. Of hinged lobes and miniature teeth. Of diminishing habitat. Of endangered species. But most of all, he spoke about belief. Belief that all beings, no matter how small or delicate, should have the right to just be.
Not long after, the developer simply shifted the access road due South, and Stanley was given permission to plant.
He started out with just one plant and a fistful of seeds at first. Then one plant became two. Then two plants became three. And as he continued to plant, three feet became four, and four yards became five.
Then, as if by magic, a small army of volunteers appeared and the garden continued to grow. All kinds of carnivorous plants were imported and planted. Sundews, butterworts, bladderworts, and pitcher plants soon called this little strip of land home. And when the last plant was placed between an army of longleaf pines, the Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden was born.
So, if you ever find yourself in the small port city of Wilmington, be sure to take a moment to visit Stanley’s garden. Though he’s no longer here, his plants still are, and for Stanley, that’s all that really mattered.
Have a good day everyone! Please keep me in mind for all of your imaging needs.