Tucked away in a shaded corner of a south Richardson business park, Paul Riddell runs a viewing gallery without any typical art installations. Instead, the Texas Triffid Ranch offers visitors the chance to view 45 different species of carnivorous plants and hybrids. Carnivorous plants attract, capture and digest small creatures.
“We really are a gallery more than anything else,” Riddell said of his fish tank-sized enclosures. “All of these are custom pieces made by myself. I [also] do a lot of commissions and consignments.”
Riddell became enamored with carnivorous plants after coming across a purple pitcher plant in the wild while living in Tallahassee, Florida, in 2002. After moving back to North Texas, he began showing his own carnivorous plants at events beginning in 2008.
“I ended up doing presentations for events, such as comic and science fiction conventions, mostly because most people have never seen any of these in person before,” Riddell said.
