This episode is what happens when two people’s loves for venus flytraps, spooky season, and movie musicals collide.  Yes, we’re doing nerdy Halloween horticulture by analyzing the representation of carnivorous plants in the classic musical Little Shop of Horrors—specifically the 1986 movie version. If you  haven’t seen the show, don’t worry; we set the stage for you and save any late-story spoilers for the very end. For the most part, we’re interested in one question: based on our knowledge of real-world carnivorous plants, how reasonable were Seymore’s guesses when he first tried to care for Audrey II? This requires, of course, an exploration of Venus flytraps’ habitat and habits, how they reproduce, and of the care they need to thrive in our homes.  The movie does raise one more hypothetical, and I’ll put this in code for our listeners who still need to watch it: that ending. Would it really have worked? We get a buzz out of exploring the idea. Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment?  Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon.  Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcast Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com  Credits Website Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH Citations Little Shop of Horrors Oz, F. (Director). (1986). Little shop of horrors. The Geffen Company. Venus flytrap Overview Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula). (n.d.). iNaturalist. https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/52666-Dionaea-muscipula Venus flytraps benefit from fires Venus Flytrap. (n.d.). National Wildlife Federation. https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Plants-and-Fungi/Venus-Flytrap A chemical signal from the flytrap’s prey stimulates the secretion of enzymes. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – the University of Texas at Austin. (n.d.). https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=dimu4 Overwintering your venus flytrap Little Shop of Horrors. (2025, January 12). Overwintering Venus flytraps. Littleshopofhorrors.co.uk. https://www.littleshopofhorrors.co.uk/over-wintering-venus-flytraps/  Timestamps 00:39 Introduction 01:35 What’s Growing On: Sean’s Winter Prep 02:20 What’s Growing On: Erin’s Tomatoes and Greenhouse Build 03:10 Sean’s Pumpkin-Deer Showdown 05:48 Water Break 06:00 Setting the Scene: Little Shop of Horrors 07:44 How Carnivorous Plants Eat 11:26 Can a Carnivorous Plant Survive on Human Blood? 12:46 Venus Fly Trap Etymology 15:50 How the Venus Fly Trap Grows 18:35 Audrey II’s Structure vs. Venus Fly Trap Structure 21:39 Taking Care of Audrey II vs. a Venus Fly Trap 32:24 Overwintering Your Venus Fly Trap 34:51 SPOILER WATER BREAK 35:20 Propagating a Venus Fly Trap vs. Audrey II 41:28 Ethical Purchasing of Venus Fly Traps 42:49 Buying Cool Cultivated Varieties 43:33 Can You Kill a Plant with Electrocution? 47:29 Conclusion and Contact Us