I suffered another disaster this weekend. Three years ago I had my greenhouse vandalized by some kids who tried to break into my house but couldn't. So they were content raiding my tool shed & smashing some of my Sarracenias & stealing my Venus flytraps.

Then I had my stupid Aunt from my dad's side who came to visit last November. She ripped out my two only S. leucophylla, thinking they were flowers for my brothers tomb.

"You can get this anywhere in Home Depot or Garden store," she said. And trying to prove how I was making a big deal over nothing, she bought me a couple of calla lilies pots thinking that will make me happy. She thought my leucos were some type of callas. Tried to explain to her the difference but she looked at me all smug & said. "You still believe in that stuff?"

Call her a word that rhymes with witch. In front of my dad & you can guess the big fight afterwards. Surprised the pitchers lasted for 15 days in the urn with the rest of the flowers. Other then that, the rhizomes were beyond salvaged.

Now my little Sarracenia bog pot became infested with mice, which decided to build their nest in the media. I saw the soil when they dug out their tunnel but I figured it came from one of the old pots that toppled over because I couldn't figure where else the soil could come from. I didn't see the hole in one corner below just next my S alabamensis, the pitchers were hiding it from view. That happened 10 days ago when I last checked them & all my plants were doing fine. I even had my VFT & my two S. purpurea purpurea (one heterophylla) out growing inside my greenhouse so they can grow naturally under sunlight & achieve dormancy naturally at the start of this coming winter.

When I went to water my plants on Saturday, I realized to my horror most of my VFT were gone, including some of my cape sundews, then I realized to my growing horror the leaves of most of my Sarracenias were very wilted & drying up.

Unfortunately that's how I finally saw the tiny hole next to my alabamensis, its shriveled pitchers looked like they were cut from below the ground and had toppled over when its pitchers shriveled. I also so parts where tunnels had collapsed. I dug everything out, trapping & killing three adult mice & destroying seven litters of dozen pinkies.

I basically lost most of my Sarracenias, some I had for 10 years. Sarracenia 'Scarlet Belle', a small shoot of my S. alabamensis, S. flava var. Ornata & Rugelii, S rubra gulfensis & wherrii, & S. purpurea heterophylla is all I have. Some are damaged so I don�t know if they will survive.

Boy I fill like crying & have no one else to turn. Some of my relatives think I�m just being silly for some plants I can get anywhere. I feel like I should just give it up. That was a big hit to my collection, how the heck I'm going to recover this? It took me years...