Stone cold killers

Let’s face it: It isn’t just fauna that kills to eat. Like the screenwriters of Final Destination, carnivorous plants have developed myriad ingenious ways to rub out their victims. Even more disturbing, most of the methods these plants use to devour their prey are slow and languishing. Trapped or drowned, hapless creatures are slowly digested, like Jabba’s henchmen in the Sarlacc. And just like us humans, or so my vegetarian friends would like me to believe, carnivorous flora don’t even need to eat “meat” to survive. So, come on, give in to your schadenfreude. Don’t miss your chance to get your very own carnivorous plant, or, for the faint at heart, a more peaceful bromeliad, at the Sacramento Bromeliad and Carnivorous Plant Society’s annual show and sale. Sure Bromeliads are gorgeous, what with the spectacular foliage and all, but insectivorous plants have real sex appeal. They’re the femme fatales of the kingdom Plantae. The Veronica Lakes of the chlorophyll set. Alluring and mysterious, they just can’t help themselves; death is where they’re at, baby. OK, you still need a sales pitch? Watch as insects struggle to escape the deadly lobes of the Venus’ flytrap! Marvel at crickets breast-stroking in vain inside a pitcher plant! Oh, the wonders of this circle of life. Honestly, the show is free, so catch a glimpse of the diverse and truly beautiful plants on display this Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Shepard Garden and Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Boulevard.