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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 6h

An unexpected discovery: Oeceoclades maculata is back in bloom! This terrestrial African orchid has little white and purple flowers and self-pollinates pretty easily (hard to sprout). But if you’re up for a challenge, there’s packets of seeds in the Shop! #orchid #flowers #plants #nature #botany

Front view of flower with the olive tepals curving out on either side and three forming a hood over top of the large crimped skirt line lower petal that is white with violet-pink veins on either side of it.

Side view of flower showing its green hanging spur and the backside of the main lower petal.

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

I don’t know if I’ll get seeds before frost hits (please temperature, rise end of next week…), but the ‘Bizarre’ Snapdragons are putting on a show. Named for their variegated splatter pattern colors. I do have their cousin Linaria in the shop though #flowers #gardening #plants #horticulture #botany

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Sarracenia ‘Saxapahaw’ x leucophylla, HC A. Most plants out of this cross have grown up to display this spectacular hot pink appearance. While this one gave no divisions this year, some of its siblings may soon appear in the Shop! #sarracenia #carnivorousplants #strangeplants #botany #horticulture

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

New video out, sorry for the late release but time escaped me. Nepenthes undulatifolia is a weird one that we have no idea how it's related to anything else! youtu.be/SPG-tZTA2S0 #nepenthes #carnivorousplants #plants #botany #nature #gardening

youtu.be

Species Spotlight: Nepenthes undulatifolia

YouTube video by Carlton Carnivores

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

A spectacular chunky thing that clearly is going to be a monster (as it’s still just in a 3 inch pot), Sarracenia “Mega Mouth” x “Drew McClain.” Barely branched, thick rhizome and pitcher mouths 2 inches across already. #sarracenia #carnivorousplants #strangeplants #botany #horticulture

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Repotted tonight, Nepenthes robcantleyi x spectsbilis BE-3754. I seem to have gotten one that favors skinny spect shape a lot more, and the colors are fantastic. Lowers and uppers are identical in all but shape. #nepenthes #tropicalpitcherplants #carnivorousplants #strangeplants #botany

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

One of the Sarracenia that just got a repot, but not divided (big leaves but slow to branch): ‘Hot Lips’ x (‘Mesa Exotics’ x “Super Heavy Veins”). Will I keep it long-term? Yet to tell, need more siblings to mature. #sarracenia #carnivorousplants #rareplants #botany #horticulture

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

A little different today, not plant or animal: bird’s nest fungus! #fungus #nature #educational #biology #mushroom

This weird little fungus popped up in a big clump in the flower patch we made in the lawn, and it is honestly one of the oddest growth habits I can think of. Rather than release clouds of spores, these pack them into little “eggs” that sit in the cup waiting for rain to launch them out into new spaces to sprout and feed on detritus in the soil.

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Highland sundews that probably need to be repotted again (because the last peat batch was utter crap it turns out) #drosera #sundew #carnivorousplants #botany #plants

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

New video out! The Peloncillos of New Mexico have it out for me, but we survived the mechanical distaster that occurred there and still managed to find critters...with the star this time probably being a mammal! youtu.be/K7NvgD70g1c #herping #herpetology #snakes #reptiles #toads #animals #wildlife

youtu.be

Peloncillo Perils

YouTube video by Carlton Carnivores

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Another snake share today because Jacob the Baird’s ratsnake decided to be funny…I do not know how, but a 4 1/2 foot snake managed to cram himself into a half-full 6x4 inch pocket. Physically this should not be possible, but he did it. #snakes #petsnake #bairdsratsnake #animals #reptiles

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

The last baby in the clutch is finally ready to find a home as well. A little male hypoberry Tessera corn snake, he didn’t want to eat for a little bit and took an anole scenting round to convince him that mice were food…luckily only took that one attempt #cornsnake #snakes #pets #animals #petsnake

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Fall pitcher season is filling up even the for-sale pool with amazing colors. All of these are listed in the Shop! You can browse at carltoncarnivores.com or ask here to find the names for these and many more #sarracenia #carnivorousplants #strangeplants #botany #horticulture

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

New video out! Another species highlight on one of the microendemic fat-trapped species from the Palawan mountains! youtu.be/LG9sM9fyCTE #nepenthes #carnivorousplants #plants #botany #nature #horticulture

youtu.be

Species Spotlight: Nepenthes gantungensis

YouTube video by Carlton Carnivores

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Trying again with a store rescue Dionaea muscipula, and the two I picked up are distinct despite being “typicals.” One is paler and normal in tooth shape, the other deep red and has some fused teeth going on. #dionaeamuscipula #venusflytrap #carnivorousplants #strangeplants #botany

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Tropical pitcher smorgasbord, things that caught my eye after coming back from Arizona. #nepenthes #carnivorousplants #botany #horticulture #plants

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

A very surprising turn of events as I didn’t think it was anywhere near established enough…but this Goodyera oblongifolia has decided to flower! More info in first alt text #orchids #plants #educational #botany #nature

Most people are familiar with Goodyera pubescens, the Downy Rattlesnake Plantain, but this species is a more montane western relative and has striped midrib but no reticulated vein patterns like that one. Not a plantain at all either, but an orchid species with tiny, difficult to see but highly intricate white flowers.
With any luck after a couple years this will have turned into a full colony.

Tiny white flowers on the stalk with lower petals folding outward

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Another spectacular surprise on coming home: open blooms on African Foxglove, Sesamum trilobum. More info in first alt text #flowers #plants #botany #horticulture #nature

Not an actual foxglove by any means, this is an annual plant native to the southern third or so of Africa and can grow to nearly 6 feet tall in some cases, topped with spikes of huge foxglove like mauve or white flowers. A gorgeous ornamental, leaves have also been traditionally used in medicine and are a protein-rich cooked vegetable like spinach (with caveat not to eat too much at once or they can have some mildly toxic effects).

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Took months to get this Nepenthes (singalana x hamata) x hamata to acclimate and pitcher, but it’s finally doing so readily. With how much hamata is in it I honestly expected much bigger teeth than it’s sporting but the color is impeccable. #nepenthes #carnivorousplants #botany #horticulture #plant

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Nepenthes northiana x veitchii “Candy Dreams” is still a small plant but has color hitting like a big one. Nothing but pink when it opens, aging to high contrast reds, oranges, and green-yellows (seen in the trap behind this one). #nepenthes #carnivorousplants #strangeplants #botany #horticulture

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

New video out! A shorter one as this mountain range always tends to be finicky...luckily the lower slopes nearly always have at least one snake cruising around. youtu.be/PnEiGs357OE #herping #herpetology #snakes #animals #wildlife #nature

youtu.be

Cruising in the Black Range

YouTube video by Carlton Carnivores

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

This plant is never going to get old to look at. Every new Nepenthes villosa x hamata trap goes from purely yellow peristome to this bicolor beauty…to the deep maroon in the last pic. And the teeth just keep getting more pronounced. #nepenthes #carnivorousplants #strangeplants #botany #horticulture

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

New highlight video! The giant tubby-trapped Nepenthes of Palawan also have a few relatives that are...not quite so giant, but no less unusual looking youtu.be/JBi2xUdBwkc #botany #nepenthes #carnivorousplants #strangeplants #plants #horticulture #nature

youtu.be

Nepenthes leonardoi: A Mini Giant

YouTube video by Carlton Carnivores

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Finally that time: all of the reliably feeding, successfully shed baby corns have been posted to the website! 10 babies, soon to be 11, looking for new homes. #cornsnake #snakes #pets #animals #reptile

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Nepenthes ventricosa x sibuyanensis HC B before repotting. A sturdy and spectacular hybrid with sib size but vent vigor and shape. Between my two clones this one usually has higher contrast between lip and body but more slender pitchers #nepenthes #carnivorousplants #strangeplants #botany #nature

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

New video up! Wildlife is back, and while New Mexico was a little slow this round, what showed was quality youtu.be/rNuq6y6Pb8U #herping #herpetology #snakes #reptiles #animals #wildlife #nature

youtu.be

Rock, Rattle, and Roll

YouTube video by Carlton Carnivores

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

One of the two Sarracenia wherryi x leucophylla “Original Yellow” clones that I recently divided and put up in the Shop. The photos were the summer traps that aren’t as flashy, but as fall moves in…all the white pours into these lids. #sarracenia #carnivorousplants #strangeplants #botany #gardening

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Iris dichotoma “lavender” has decided to bloom and confirm that this is the right species! Closely related to I. domestica the but with tiny more standard iris-shaped flowers that last for a day each…but dozens tend to open sequentially for a few weeks. #iris #flowers #botany #horticulture #plants

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

The hiatus is…partly over, we’re back home for a couple days from a trip through southwest New Mexico! This was a trip featuring quality over quantity, animals were a bit sparser than usual but no day went snakeless and the critters found were amazing #herping #reptiles #snakes #animals #wildlife

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

About time the official announcement is made: four different morphs of baby corn snakes available! Dreamer and Mochara got busy and made hypoberry normal and tesseras, and strawberry ghost normals and tesseras. #cornsnake #snakes #pets #animals #herpetoculture

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Teased for months and it finally opened a bloom: Hibiscus coccineus, Scarlet Rosemallow or Texas Star. Just so happens I have a few of these in the Shop too… www.carltoncarnivores.com/product-page... #hibiscus #flowers #plants #nature #botany

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Another plant that got *some*chopping (but I retained the long vine because it’s supposedly female and I need a flower): Nepenthes robcantleyi x tenuis Lower and upper traps shown here, one of my favorite crosses. #nepenthes #tropicalpitcherplants #carnivorousplants #botany #horticulture

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Nepenthes ventricosa “K” EP x alba AW, clone A. Drastic shift from lowers to uppers, dark and chunky to slim and very pale. N. ventricosa is usually a fairly dominant plant in crosses but in this case alba takes the spotlight. #nepenthes #carnivorousplants #strangeplants #botany #horticulture

Dark purple hourglass lower pitcher with a thick black cherry peristome

Slender funnel shaped upper pitchers are pale green with faint red blotching

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

A surprise discovery this afternoon, the first bloom of Tigridia pavonia! More info in alt text #flowers #plants #botany #horticulture #educational

A flower of many names though perhaps most appropriately Oceloxochitl “Jaguar Flower” as the Aztecs knew it, this iris relative ranges from Mexico to Colombia and develops very large three-petal blooms that come in a wide range of colors. This one is white and purple, but they also come in yellow, red, orange, pink, and a myriad mixes in between. The bulbs are also edible when roasted, described as tasting somewhere between chestnut and potato. Whether I keep them just for ornamental purposes or attempt to grow out enough to eat a few remains to be seen.

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Another plant that got the chop last night: Nepenthes (x splendiana x tiveyi) x ((inermis x singalana) x mira) HC A. One of the remnants of two parents I no longer have, chartreuse all the way through with wild funnel upper pitchers #nepenthes #carnivorousplants #strangeplants #botany #horticulture

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Two very close relatives getting a much-needed repot that I hope will significantly boost size: a seedgrown Nepenthes nigra, and hamata AW clone 4 (supposedly female). Toothy and toothy lite :P #nepenthes #carnivorousplants #strangeplants #botany #nature

Nepenthes nigra pitcher, a mottled body and thin peristome lined in tiny ridges and teeth, topped by a lid with little hairs along its edges

Nepenthes hamata pitcher, taller and less mottled but more blushed green and purple, with a peristome made up entirely of long hooked black teeth at the edges of tall ribs.

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Reposted by Carlton Carnivores

Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

I never thought my first encounters with baby box turtles would be in my own garden. And, a pleasant thought that so long as no predators manage to sniff them out, they might get a good start here too! #turtles #reptiles #animals #wildlife #nature

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

The Pretzel Beans are starting to produce! Also confirming I just need to sow beans outdoors after it’s warm, not try and transplant… More info in alt text #strangeplants #edibleplants #plants #botany #gardening

Not a true bean but instead a cowpea variety, Vigna unguiculata develops bright lavender flowers followed by these funky twisted pods that sometimes corkscrew around each other as they develop, almost always in pairs. When young and green they can be eaten like a slightly tough green bean, or mature they produce black-eyed peas that are suitable for flour, soups, etc.

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Carlton Carnivores @carltoncarnivores.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

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