“Flytrap Town” is a documentary about the people racing to save North Carolina’s wild Venus Flytrap.
A fascinating new feature-length documentary, Flytrap Town, is currently in production in southeastern North Carolina. The film tells the story of the extraordinary the Venus Flytrap, a carnivorous plant that grows naturally only within a 75-mile radius of Wilmington.
The but as development threatens its fragile habitat, a group of passionate defenders fighting to save it from rapid development and destruction.
The film is directed by renowned British filmmaker Robert Ford, winner of two Emmys, a BAFTA and a Producers Guild of America Award. The film follows local volunteers, scientists and wildlife officers as they work tirelessly to protect the world’s only wild population of Venus flytraps. Filming has taken place mostly in Brunswick County, including Boiling Spring Lakes and the Green Swamp.
Wild Venus flytraps face multiple threats and have been listed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as a threatened species.
Brunswick County, NC holds the highest concentration of wild Venus flytraps, but its fragile habitat is disappearing. This area sits at the center of an urgent environmental battle, where a housing boom clashes with conservation efforts. In the town of Boiling Spring Lakes a dedicated network of volunteers called Flytrap Champions dig up Venus flytraps threatened by construction and move them to safe ground. These flytrap relocations are known as ‘rescue missions’ and the volunteers are ready to mobilize at short notice, dedicating their time and passion to the iconic plant.
The film follows the personal stories of individuals fighting for the flytrap’s future and the sacrifices they make to preserve it. But not everyone in this area agrees that the flytrap is worth saving. Some local residents, facing housing shortages and high costs, question the focus on protecting a plant when they need homes. One even asked, “Why should we save these plants if you can buy them at Walmart?” This highlights the stark conflict between conservation and development in ‘flytrap central’.
With the wild Venus flytrap population down 93% in just 50 years, FLYTRAP TOWN is a timely, urgent and visually striking exploration of a species in peril – and the people racing to save it. Shot in vivid 4K, the film reveals the flytrap in extraordinary detail, from the stillness of its open jaws to their lightning-fast snap. Intimate, golden-hour scenes capture the quiet dedication of the volunteers working to protect it.
Blending science, emotion, and visual wonder, FLYTRAP TOWN offers a powerful, immersive look at what it means to fight for the wild.
Flytrap Town is not just about plants, it explores the lives of the community members who sacrifice their time and energy to safeguard an iconic species and the fragile habitat it depends on. At the heart of the story is the Flytrap Champions, a grassroots network of volunteers who dig up flytraps from future construction sites and relocate them to safe ground.
The passion and dedication of the volunteers forms the emotional core of the documentary, showing that conservation is not just the work of scientists and governments, but of ordinary people willing to get their hands dirty.
The Flytrap Town team is calling for additional financial support to complete filming. Thanks to a fiscal sponsorship from Southern Conservation Partners, a 501(c)(3) charity, donations over $100 are tax-deductible.Contributions under $100 can be made via GoFundMe. Supporters will receive exclusive rewards, such as behind-the-scenes updates, film credits, premiere tickets, and even invitations to major awards ceremonies if the film is nominated.
