Venus flytrap poaching now a felony

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Stealing a rare carnivorous plant native to our area is now a more serious crime.

Gov. Pat McCrory today signed into law Senate Bill 734, which passed during the legislative short session this summer.

Titled Regulatory Reform Act of 2014, McCrory says the law “eliminates unnecessary regulations and laws and streamlines the rulemaking process.”

The law also expands protections for rare plants, including Venus flytraps. The plant grows natively in only a few areas mainly in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina. Stealing the plant or its seeds is now a Class H felony in North Carolina.