Does one expect to find cacti adjacent to the Florida Everglades. I didn’t at first, yet I see desert gardens fairly regularly in South Florida. This Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia phaeacantha) was at Flamingo Gardens, which is located at the edge of the Everglades. Desert plants can be happy in the warm subtropical climates but naturally need to be on the slightly higher and drier habitats. Native Americans learned to find these higher elevations inside the Everglades when they set up homelands while hiding from European invaders. Copyright 2024 Pamela BreitbergThe size of this Prickly Pear shows how happy it is in this habitat. Copyright 2024 Pamela BreitbergPrickly Pear Cacti can produce the red flowers as shown above as well as yellow flowers shown here. The cacti form dense thickets. Copyright 2024 Pamela BreitbergThe fruits of the Prickly Pear are edible tasting similar to pear or watermelon. Copyright 2024 Pamela BreitbergA tangled thicket of Prickly Pear and others. Copyright 2024 Pamela BreitbergNot your close-to-the-ground cacti variety. Wow! Copyright 2024 Pamela Breitberg
I love Cacti.
Just have never gotten over them situating so close to wetlands. Warm climates make sense; but not wetlands.