Ernie, It's funny you should mention Prickly Pear Cactus. It's native here in the New Jersey Pine Barrens also. It has beautiful yellow flowers when it blooms. Barry
--- On Sun, 5/3/09, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: From: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: [ENTS] Re: Meadow Question To: "ENTSTrees" <[email protected]> Date: Sunday, May 3, 2009, 2:06 PM Jenny, Michigan has some areas that were probably never forested after the retreat of the last ice sheet. Do a search on "Newaygo Prairies". Here's an excerpt from one of the websites that describe it: "Newaygo Prairie is a great place to visit year round due to the variety of plants that inhabit it. Prickly pear, which blooms in July, is always a sight to see. Over 100 species of prairie plants can be found in the sanctuary, including: foxglove, yellow flax, prairie ragwort, American wild plum and needle grass. Whip-poor-wills in the nearby woods can often be heard singing throughout the prairie in early evening. This dry sand prairie is a remnant of a complex that once spanned over 19,000 acres in Michigan. Only 4% of Michigan’s original sand prairie is left. Native tall grasses and other fire- adapted species thrive here." Yes, prickly pear cactus is native to Michigan, believe it or not. There was a nursery in Kalamazoo that sold native Michigan plants, and I bought some cactus plants and "Prairie Smoke" from them. Using native plants for landscaping is a great way to avoid work and save money and resources: you don't have to water or fertilize them! Ernie --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
