Why do you love your Neps?

[Dragoness]

How did you get involved with neps? Do you have a favorite? if so, what draws you to that plant?

My fascination with Nepenthes started long before I had the means to care for one. I had a VFT and a purple pitcher plant, and was reading up on their care, and in doing so, read about the care of other species of CP, including Neps. At the time, I knew I did not have a good place to keep one, but I knew I was in love, and someday I would grow Neps.

I'm a little closer now, and I have room for a few. Deciding which of the hundreds of species, and hybrids was the next task.

I like plants that are strange, or have a history, or ecological quirk. N. madagascariensis interests me solely because it was the first species described.

After reading this article (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100825094915.htm), I had to have Nepenthes ampullaria, even if I never acquired the frogs that could inhabit them. I have since learned a lot about nepenthes infauna, and find every plant interesting in that regard... But I still like my little detritivorous ampullaria for their unique appearance, and differing habits.

Which led me to N. bicalcarata. If the teeth weren't enough, their relationship with the ants was. There are dozens of species I like simply because of their unique appearance (hamata, inermis, eymae, jamban, the list goes on)

At the moment, I have 2 bicalcaratas, an ampullaria, a mirabilis var globosa, and one unknown. Planned acquisitions include a lowland Truncata, Rafflesiana, perhaps albomarginata, madagascariensis (if I can get my hands on it) and some highlanders listed above, after I have a suitable setup for them.

Lets hear your stories, (and see your pics!)

 

[NemJones]

Back when I was a small child, I didnt care as much for plants. Except for Carnivorous plants. The fact that somewhere out there, was a predatory plant capable of eating insects and occasionally mammals, made me want to grow them.
I used to have an old terrarium with an unknown Nep, a couple VFTs, and a literal forest of drosera (I believe intermedia.) 6 Years later, the tank eventually crashed and I lost interest in them but later, my interest would
explode into plants. Particularly the rarest and most unusual. There are so many amazing plants out there, many unknown to human kind and that drove my fascination to build a greenhouse, a couple grow racks, and drop
hundreds of dollars worth on my obsessive hobby.

I really got back into Carnivorous plants after revisiting info files on various Nepenthes. Hamata did me in.(Also anything with teeth. Thats cool and you know it.) I had to get back into Cp's, (my original plant obsession.) This time, I was not a small child.
Im now capable of understanding how the plants work, and what they need. This time I also had a more extreme attraction to the Nepenthes branch of CP, which was previously my least favorite.
After ordering a few and watching them progress, it has just made me want to grow more of them and expand. (A dangerous hobby for the wallet.) Joining Terraforums doesnt help out my
leather pocket companion either. I love watching the plants produce their pitchers and catch things. Each time its different. A pitcher will gain more color than the next, maybe peristome definition,
perhaps even get a fuzzy coat on its skin. The plants never stay the same, and the bigger they get, the more beautiful and dangerous they become.
But thats where I am now and how I got here.

 

[Whimgrinder]

As the saying goes, a picture is worth -- well -- you know.....

Or this:

 

[corky]

nuff said Paul

 

[theplantman]

Old pics, but............

 

[Bio]

I love growing my Neps because replicating the conditions they require really tests my knowledge, and knowing these magnificent plants rely on me to give them what they need, makes it that much more worthwhile.

 

[Zath]

I love growing my Neps because replicating the conditions they require really tests my knowledge, and knowing these magnificent plants rely on me to give them what they need, makes it that much more worthwhile.

This...and strictly for myself I'll add;

It's a true test of my patience. I've been called the king of unfinished projects by close family, and it's true. Let's face it...a VFT or a 'Dew, you can see changes every couple days. Constantly growing, constantly doing things; while a Nepenthes seems to be at a comparative standstill.

I am an easily distracted person...to put it bluntly. Watching a Nepenthes grow is like watching paint dry (I do that, actually. I paint models)...yet I want to challenge myself with these. If they survive in my conditions, and are able to mature, it doesn't matter what the pitchers may look like. They're gonna look awesome to me!

 

[PsychoSarah]

This would be like asking a mother why she loves her kids. We raise them, watch them grow, feel joy when they succeed and sorrow when they are hurt or fail.