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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:47 am
by Zhanna
peterb wrote:I found it very challenging growing cacti in Pennsylvania when I was a kid.
Nice story ... I hope I get some flowers too!
Were you able to grow anything outdoors other than your O. humifusa?
peterb wrote:There are parts of Pennsylvania that are so densely wooded and lush, it's like pioneer times still. World's End State Park, for example. Wild country.
Yes, really anywhere in the north central part of the state is like another world. For some reason I don't get out there very often, but I do love it. It's a great area for hiking. Even just a ride along Route 6 is full of gorgeous mountain scenery. The PA Grand Canyon is also very nice, even though it is
nothing like the real Grand Canyon.
Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:55 am
by Zhanna
jacob1986 wrote:How's the weather in that part of PA?
Ugh. The weather is one of this area's major downfalls! We tend to have short, cool (but very humid) summers and not a lot of sunshine at any time during the year. We have a lot of "nuisance" snowfalls and a couple major snowstorms a year. I prefer things a bit warmer and sunnier (just like my cacti). For some reason the southeastern part of PA seems to have significantly nicer weather, on average, than we do in the northeast.
Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 3:24 am
by daiv
Zhanna wrote:For some reason the southeastern part of PA seems to have significantly nicer weather, on average, than we do in the northeast.
Could have something to do with that big body of water to the Southeast, or it is just that your that much closer to Detroit!
Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 11:27 am
by Zhanna
He-he! It may also have something to do with the configuration of the mountains. I think I remember reading that the Scranton, PA/Binghamton, NY area is the cloudiest region east of the Rockies. We also get lake effect snow (those "nuisance" storms) that I don't think usually affects the southern part of the state. Let's just say I spend time in Arizona whenever I can!
Re:
Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2022 4:12 am
by jerrytheplater
Zhanna wrote: ↑Mon Apr 06, 2009 11:34 am
Peterb, I'll keep an eye out when I'm on the A-T. I've hiked all of NJ and most of central and northern PA on the Trail and I haven't noticed any other cacti clumps yet.
I'm further north, near Scranton. Bethlehem is a pretty area. And the weather there always seems much sunnier and warmer than up here!
I'm actually looking for another source of this same species. I'd love to see if they would grow in my yard, but taking anything from national park land is a no-no.
I know this is a really old topic, but if you go to Sandy Hook in the Gateway National Recreation Area
https://www.nps.gov/gate/planyourvisit/sandy-hook.htm you will see our native Opuntia all over in the dune/beach area. All along the trails. Can't miss it. I've seen it on top of High Mountain in Haledon, NJ. Also at High Point State Park in NJ.
Re: Native Pennsylvania cactus
Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2022 3:28 pm
by 7george
Definitely O. humifusa. It is naturalized even in Europe.