About Fangs and Flora

Hello, I'm Tomás.

Fangs and Flora is run by Tomás Reyes, a biology graduate (Cornell '15, plant ecology focus) and twelve-year carnivorous plant hobbyist. I keep one of NYC's largest indoor collections — over 200 specimens across two grow tents and a south-facing light shelf in my Brooklyn apartment.

Why this site exists

Most carnivorous plant guides on the internet are written by people who don't actually grow them. The advice is generic, the photos are stock, and the species lists repeat the same five plants. That wasn't useful when I was starting, and it's not useful now.

This site is different. Every species I write about is one I currently grow or have grown. Every photograph is taken in my Brooklyn light tent or my outdoor bog setup. Every troubleshooting guide is grounded in problems I've personally solved — including the ones where I lost the plant before I figured it out.

The starting point

I inherited my first carnivorous plant — a Sarracenia purpurea — from my grandmother in Puerto Rico when I was twelve. She'd kept it on her windowsill for years and never knew it was technically a temperate North American plant that needed cold winters. It survived anyway. That contradiction kicked off a fascination that's now spanned more than two decades.

I've worked at the New York Botanical Garden, presented at meetups in three states, and killed enough plants to fill a small bog. Everything I write here is calibrated to help you avoid the mistakes I made.

What you'll find

  • Species deep-dives on every major genus: Venus flytraps, Sarracenia, Nepenthes, Drosera, Pinguicula, Cephalotus, Darlingtonia, and more.
  • Care guides for indoor grow tents, outdoor bogs, and terrarium setups.
  • Troubleshooting for the questions every beginner asks: black traps, no pitchers, mold, pest infestations, dormancy confusion.
  • Honest reviews of soil mixes, lights, fertilizers, and the specialty nurseries I've actually purchased from.

Get in touch

Questions, plant identification, or you want to share a setup of your own? Reach out via the contact page. I read everything.

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