Interesting that you mentioned him. We just watched a Waldemar Januszczak documentary on American painting last night and it seems Gorky is his favorite painter.
They look so cold, don’t they? I read that when Henry Hudson first explored the coast of Long Island he described beaches adorned with roses and prickly pear.
So they’ve been there “all along.” I remember being amazed the first time I saw one on Long Island. At the time, I didn’t know they grew that far north and associated them with spring vacations on an island off GA. Tough plants! Roses, too.
Rosa Virginiana is our native, but it’s less common around the beaches than Rosa Rugosa. When I worked for the Park Service on Fire Island, there were a few native roses mixed in here and there, and the smaller pink blossoms were always a lovely sight.
On the East End, Prickly Pear is more common on the bay beaches. There’s impressive stands of it in Orient State Park, and some nice patches here in East Hampton as well. It’s also found on the islands: Shelter, Gardiners, Robins and Plum. The cactus in my picture was unusual because we found it nestled under the powerlines adjacent to the Peconic River (a few miles from Peconic Bay).
Interesting – Joe tells me he showed it to me long ago in Bayville, where he lived when I met him. So maybe it’s a little more protected on that side?
JOHN TODARO PHOTOGRAPHY 
What a lovely composition, John.
Much appreciated!
Fantastic! A natural Arshile Gorky.
Interesting that you mentioned him. We just watched a Waldemar Januszczak documentary on American painting last night and it seems Gorky is his favorite painter.
And great colors! 🙂
The pine barrens on Long Island have many sandy areas that resemble beach swales. Definitely makes for colorful settings!
Such an attractive composition. It’s hard to believe they’ll bounce back.
They look so cold, don’t they? I read that when Henry Hudson first explored the coast of Long Island he described beaches adorned with roses and prickly pear.
So they’ve been there “all along.” I remember being amazed the first time I saw one on Long Island. At the time, I didn’t know they grew that far north and associated them with spring vacations on an island off GA. Tough plants! Roses, too.
Rosa Virginiana is our native, but it’s less common around the beaches than Rosa Rugosa. When I worked for the Park Service on Fire Island, there were a few native roses mixed in here and there, and the smaller pink blossoms were always a lovely sight.
On the East End, Prickly Pear is more common on the bay beaches. There’s impressive stands of it in Orient State Park, and some nice patches here in East Hampton as well. It’s also found on the islands: Shelter, Gardiners, Robins and Plum. The cactus in my picture was unusual because we found it nestled under the powerlines adjacent to the Peconic River (a few miles from Peconic Bay).
Interesting – Joe tells me he showed it to me long ago in Bayville, where he lived when I met him. So maybe it’s a little more protected on that side?