"What you always wanted to know about butterworts"

In which habitats do butterwords grow?

With the exception of the Australian continent, butterworts can be found worldwide, especially in the northern hemisphere. In Africa Pinguicula species are only found in the northern parts along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The main centre of diversity is the Carribean/Mesoamerican region, where 2/3 of the butterwort species can be found. A secondary centre of diversity is the European continent, but with a much smaller number of distinctive species.

Like all other carnivorous plants, butterworts have become specialized to grow in habitats where the soils are quite poor in nutrients. The advantage of using nutrients of animal origin is that it allows them to live in habitats where other plants can't grow very well. So it is not astonishing that butterworts can be found in areas like bogs, eroded soils or even bare rocks.