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ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS HERALD |
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FLOWERING CACTUSES AND ROSES AT SANDY HOOK It is mid-June now. The Bayshore region is waking up to some high thin cirrus clouds and to some real sweltering heat. Summer has not even officially started, but already we are feeling midsummer weather conditions with afternoon high temperatures somewhere in the upper 80s to near 90, along with the three H’s - heat, haze, and building humidity. In any event, it is a bright sunny day. There are some clouds at times, but rain is not in the forecast. Even though we probably could use a shower to wash away the tree and grass pollen and refresh the emergent plants, many folks are not thinking about rain. Any other time we can have precipitation, just not on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays, or during vacation throughout the summertime. There is too much outdoor fun to be had along the Jersey Shore for rainfall to come about. I decide to enjoy the day as well and to take an early morning bike ride around Sandy Hook before the crowds of cars set upon the thin peninsula. As I travel the bike path, I quickly become aware of the bright hues of yellow, pink, and white outlining the sides of the trail. This time of year, underneath the canopy of scrub tress and near the great beach of the Atlantic Ocean, is an abundant array of flowing plants and sweet scents, from Tiger lilies to Sweet pepper bushes. For me, June brings about the flowers of two of my favorite coastal plants – the Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia humifusa) and the Salt-spray rose ( Rosa rugosa).
(The thorny Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus produces beautiful bright yellow flowers during June) When most people think of the Jersey Shore, they do not think of stumbling upon any cactuses. Yet, the low-growing Prickly Pear Cactus is a native plant. Indeed, it is the only indigenous cactus east of the Mississippi River. If you think about it, the beach is sort of a desert too. Both have dry, sandy soils and blistering heat. These conditions are perfect for the Prickly Pear Cactus.
(A group of flowering Prickly Pear Cactuses thriving in the dry, harsh, sandy soils at Sandy Hook) One of the main features of this cactus is its edibility. The pads contain water and can be eaten, as well as the fruit from which the plant gets its name. In the fall, the cactus produces a spiny, dark-red pear-like fruit that is an important source of food for coastal animals, and is also a critical way the plant’s seeds get transported around the region. Coastal Native American people would also harvest the fruity pear for their autumn cuisine and to use the juice of the pear to make a bright red dye.
(The Salt-spray Rose, Beach Rose, or Rosa Rugosa, no matter the name, this lovely plant does well in the sandy soils of the coastal plain) Unlike a cactus, the Salt-spray rose or Beach Rose is a shrub with flowers that come in white or pink. Yet, just like the cactus, the Salt-spray rose uses thorny braches to protect itself from predators.
(The flowers of the Salt-Spray Rose comes in both pink and white, and sometimes a blend of both) The rose itself is not only a beautiful bouquet, but the flower provides a natural perfume that delights the nose of many people. The flowers are fragile and appear crumpled. This condition has given the plant’s scientific name of rugosa, which means wrinkled. This wrinkled rose has its origins in Asia and was most likely introduced to America sometime around the early to mid 1800s. The great nature writer, Henry David Thoreau, while visiting Cape Cod in Massachusetts in 1855, wrote about this plant: “When the roses were in bloom, these great patches in the midst of the sand displayed such a profusion of blossoms, mingled with the aroma of the bayberry that no…artificial rose-garden could equal them.” When the Salt-spray rose dies after an approximately 30-year life span, the plant’s location is often replaced by native Bayberry. This is one reason why you will often find the two plants living side by side for an amazing array of sights and smells. It is not easy to be a plant along the Jersey Shore. They have to deal with high winds, dry soils, salt spray, and blistering heat in the summer and bone-chilling cold in the winter. Yet, a number of plants not only survive, but thrive. These coastal plants can deal with a lot of harsh conditions. Yet, the one thing they cannot tolerate is people trampling on them and the loss of habitat. The next time you visit Sandy Hook or any beach along the northeast, take delight from the early sights and smells of the many wildflowers, grasses, and trees that call the Atlantic Coast home, but show them a little respect. Leave their attractive flowers alone, take only pictures, and do what you can to forever protect their sandy home for future generations of species to enjoy.
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