Butterworts are small, herbaceous perennials, wild in Europe, Asia and in North America. Their method of trapping creatures is by using their leaves, clothed with glandular hairs, to secrete a sticky, dew-like substance. The leaf very slowly rolls over on itself and the glands excrete a ferment. After digestion, the leaf will gradually unfold.
'Pings' have deep pink-purple or lavender flowers, some with white streaking. They number about 70 species and more may be discovered. They grow throughout the Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic Circle down to Siberia, Europe and North America.
The most popular species to grow is Pinguicula moranensis. It can flourish on your windowsill and in terrariums and greenhouses. Flowers are usually pink, flowering twice a year; P. ‘Alba’ is a white form of butterwort. P. moranensis forms vary in leaf shape and size and can flower for many months of the year, before and after summer. P. moranensis ‘G’ is the popular variety that flowers almost continuously throughout the year.
Temperate species require a medium of two parts peat, one part perlite and one part sand. Warm, temperate varieties need a soil of one part peat to one part sand. Mexican and tropical species require an open mix of equal parts sand, perlite, vermiculite and peat moss, with an optional addition of lava rock or pumice. Pots made of plastic or ceramic can accommodate your plant, as long as they have drainage holes. Mexican pings enjoy being grown in calcium-rich abalone shells and large lava rocks with nook and crannies. The soil can be kept in place with long-fibered sphagnum moss. Hardy varieties are suitable for bog gardens and wet sites in a rock garden that are sunny and humid. They require sandy, peaty soil that remains moist. In a greenhouse, just before new growth begins in February, plants are placed in and at the edge of a six-inch pot to allow for leaf spread. Do not water from above. Plant pots should be placed in saucers that are always filled with water. In October, when plants are dormant, place them in a room that receives a temperature of 50 degrees at night and rises only a few degrees higher during the day. Propagation is accomplished by leaf cuttings, a more successful method than seed.
Growing Carnivorous Plants by 
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