Yep, those two sure looked like the type that carefully sow seeds of the
plants they rip up, I laughed outloud when they gave that justification! He
said the big one looked like a $.30 plant, which means they get less for the
average and small sized ones. As far as the law goes, I believe they said
"Lemonade" (the poacher's name) had already been arrested 3 times for
poaching, once earlier that year. Whether or not he paid any fines he was
issued wasn't clear, but the judge said if he gets caught again he'll do jail
time. So much for the judge's warning...Here we have the most commonly
cultivated, cheapest, most widely available Carnivorous Plant in the U.S. and
probably the world, millions are produced each year, and yet there's still
massive field collecting going on! Unless you put up electrified fences
surrounded by machine gun clad guards the wild populations are doomed.
I hope there's some live material of every CP species and variety, from every
known population site somewhere in cultivation because odds are at this rate
the wild sites are perilously close to extinction. I only pray someone gets
their hands on some Triphyophyllum seeds or plants and is able to cultivate
them successfully, when was the last reported live sighting of T. peltatum in
the wild? It may already be too late.
Regards,
Demetrios