other Puget Sound area lakes in Kitsap, Mason, Pierce, and Thurston counties. One population has even been recorded from the more southern Silver Lake in Cowlitz County. Information on this species in Washington State provided by the state's Department of Ecology includes a statement that U. inflata'''s presence in Horseshoe Lake was "probably the result of a discarded aquarium." Washington's Department of Ecology also indicates that in the areas where it occurs, U. inflata forms dense floating mats, becoming a nuisance for recreational activities. Residents of Lake Limerick, which has extensive populations of U. inflata, spend thousands of dollars each summer to rid their lake of the dense, weedy mats. A variety of control methods have been used to control the weed, including a sonar treatment, biocontrol utilizing grass carp, and manual extraction. Washington considers this species to be problematic but has not classified it as a noxious weed. Instead, it is on a monitor list of wetland and aquatic species under quarantine, meaning that it is prohibited to sell this species and it may be included on the state's noxious weed list in the future.Washington State Department of Ecology. (2007). Washington's Exotic Aquatic and Wetland Weeds. Accessed online: 23 December 2007. Most carnivorous plant species require very specific environmental conditions to thrive. This narrow habitat tolerance means that many carnivorous plants are threatened or endangered in their native ranges. U. inflatas ability to thrive in a variety of locations that it has been introduced to represents an ability to tolerate a much larger range of habitats than most carnivorous plant species.Rice, Barry. (2007). Should I plant carnivorous plants in habitats they don't live in already?. The Carnivorous Plant FAQ. Accessed online: 25 December 2007. Cultivation Utricularia inflata is one of the many Utricularia species that is cultivated by carnivorous plant enthusiasts. Because it requires no dormancy and due to its swift growth, it is one of the easier suspended aquatic species to cultivate. Barry Rice, author of Growing Carnivorous Plants, says that this species is the easiest suspended aquatic Utricularia that he has grown. Rice also mentions that U. inflata has been used as an aid in the cultivation of particularly difficult species, such as Aldrovanda vesiculosa, that are much more sensitive to high nutrient concentrations. When growing these species together, U. inflata will grow rapidly in the presence of higher nutrients, which allows A. vesiculosa to enjoy the