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Cactus on Bear mtn

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Comments 5

  • JimBlue -

    Prickly perar cacti spreads and can take over an area. If you want to remove it, the roots have to come out.

    • CoachLou -

      Oh no...it stays! It will be maybe 30 feet off the trail, on the relocation. We have to hope someone doesn't see it, and come back, all stealthy....and digs it out for their own garden.

    • JimBlue -

      Oh, I thought you wanted to get rid of it. It will spread though. Not as fast as kudzu, but it will spread. Snow/cold will slow it though.

  • AnotherKevin -

    Wow, that must be a really sheltered spot. There are lots of prickly pear on the North Shore of Long Island, but I don't think I've seen one in the Hudson Highlands before.

    • CoachLou -

      Eric and I were discussing it. He says there are 2 other patches that he has seen in the Greater Harriman Forest. The spot is on a south slope, growing in maybe one inch of duff. The picture shows the way the entire slope is like. No water sits in this area, it runs off quick. Our building must work with that quick run off. This area that we are now in is Rattler habitat. We were taken in the spring with the park Bio-guy and he gave us a very good talk as we inspected the proposed trail path.

      What you also see in front of the cactus is dead stalks of Devils Walking Stick which the park trying to eradicate............it is everywhere......when your looking for it!