I have a Mamm. zeilmanniana and I was wondering if it's self-fertile. I have multiple flowers on it now and can try pollinating by hand if it might work. I would love to see some fruits!

Also, if it does work, about how long would it take before I could expect to see fruits?

Thanks!

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 s...

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 th...

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? There are parts of Pennsylvania that are so densely wooded and lush, it's like pioneer times still. World...

Thanks so much, everyone! Did anyone have any ideas about the little Mammillaria in front?

Maybe the Ferocactus will be easier to identify as it grows.

Hi Tony, It is indeed the Delaware River. On the other side of that river is the fine state of New Jersey. It is typically very green around here in late spring and summer. But the green gets old quickly, especially when you realize how much rain/humidity we need in order for it to be so "lush....

My mother and boyfriend are enablers, and they got me the following for my birthday last week. :D (I want to repot each cactus in the first group separately, and I may have some questions about that for another section of the forum.) Can you help me figure out what these are? I made some guesses but...

Someone was worried that the cactus would hurt the cats. Here we can see that the opposite is almost always the case. Cats are very dangerous to cacti. A few months ago I had an "incident" where my cat somehow knocked four of my pots onto the floor. Two didn't make it, one was fine, and o...

Again, I'm thrilled that everyone enjoyed the photos! I know that this isn't the typical cactus habitat so I figured they would be a nice change of pace. Hopefully I will find more cacti around here soon and have more images to share. Neat story, TexanEd ! Pea Patch Island is a bit further south on ...

Thanks for more sources! I can't wait to try these. I have a spot that they may like.

I love hiking the Hudson highlands, but I haven't noticed any cacti there yet. I'll be sure to look for them!

Thanks for the lead on Mesa Garden! I'll check them out. I'm glad everyone enjoyed the photos! For anyone interested in finding these cacti, I'd recommend going in the summer or fall. These photos were taken in August, a few years ago. The landscape doesn't look that pretty at this time of year! :( ...

Byron, I loved the Googly Eyed sketch! I too have heard about such horrible acts of cactus mutilation but I haven't witnessed them firsthand. Just look at the poor things in the video clip ... they look mortified!

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 u...

Tom, these "cactus cliffs" are located near Milford, in the northernmost part of the Delaware Water Gap NRA. Depending on where you'll be in Philly and what the traffic is like, you should be able to make it in under 3 hours. If you need another reason to visit this particular spot, it's a...

These are the only native cacti I've found so far in northeastern Pennsylvania! They certainly aren't impressive by Arizona or California standards, but we'll take what we can get around here. :D They are located on gorgeous cliffs in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. If you have a GP...