Editing Eastern Prickly Pear (section)

== Unsuccessful Explorations ==

=== Powerline Cut (Middletown) ===

On May 17, 2012, I conducted an exploration of 1.14 miles of terrain (~2.3 mile out-and-back hike) along a powerline cut in Middletown, beginning at Bartholomew Road and terminating at Route 9.  The terrain along the powerline cut is a combination of meadow and rocky outcrops with elevations concentrated between 450 and 550 feet above mean sea level (AMSL), though maximum elevation reaches approximately 580 feet AMSL and minimum elevation drops as low as 330 feet AMSL.

This exploration was launched after I spotted dry, rocky outcrops beside the road while driving along Route 9 in Middletown.  I thought I had seen a few ''Juniperus virginiana'' (Eastern Red Cedar) which, in combination with the xeric, rocky character of the powerline cut, seemed to suggest it may offer suitable habitat for ''Opuntia humifusa''.

After a very thorough investigation of all of the rocky outcrops along the full-length of the powerline cut, I have not discovered any evidence of ''O. humifusa''.  In addition, the coniferous trees I had seen were confirmed not to be ''Juniperus'' sp.

The rocky outcrops along the powerline did seem suitable as cacti habitat, offering xeric conditions with well-drained soil and full exposure to sunlight.

A post-exploration review of soil types present along the powerline cut revealed a rather broad diversity of soil types which weren't necessarily known to be conducive to ''O. humifusa''.  These soil types included '''Catden and Freetown soils''' (Soil Type 18), '''Timakwa and Natchaug soils''' (Soil Type 17), '''Charlton-Chatfield complex''' (Soil Type 73E), '''Ridgebury, Leicester, and Whitman soils, extremely stony''' (Soil Type 3), '''Hollis-Chatfield-Rock outcrop complex''' (Soil Types 75C and 75E).  At the time of the exploration, none of these various soil types had been observed at known ''O. humifusa'' habitat in Connecticut.  My later discovery of the Ingham Hill Colony, however, indicates that Charlton-Chatfield Complex does, in fact, provide suitable soil for ''O. humifusa''.

=== High Rock Mountain (Bethany & Hamden) ===

On May 19, 2012, I conducted an exploration of rocky outcrops on High Rock Mountain, accessible along the blue-blazed Quinnipiac Trail.  I accessed the trail from Brooks Road in Bethany and hiked the Quinnipiac Trail to the bald ridges on High Rock Mountain in Hamden (~2.75 mile loop hike).

My prior research suggested that High Rock Mountain offered excellent habitat for ''O. humifusa''.  The rocky outcrops consist entirely of Holyoke-Rocky Outcrop Complex (Soil Types 78C and 78E), a soil type known to be associated with all confirmed ''O. humifusa'' sites in New Haven, Hamden and Plainville.  The rocky outcrops that I investigated are also designated by CTECO GIS maps as Subacidic Rocky Outcrops (SubRSO), a critical habitat type with which ''O. humifusa'' is closely associated in both New Haven and Hamden on West Rock Ridge.  In addition, these rocky outcrops on High Rock Mountain are less than one mile from large colonies of ''O. humifusa'' that I've observed in Hamden at the northern extent of West Rock Ridge State Park.  When factored together, all of these characteristics seemed to indicate a very high probability of ''O. humifusa'' colonization on High Rock Mountain.

The entire exploration, however, revealed no evidence of ''O. humifusa'' on High Rock Mountain.

The rocky outcrops that were targeted during my exploration exhibited the presence of ''Juniperus virginiana'' (Eastern Red Cedar), a known indicator species of ''O. humifusa'' on this type of terrain.  This raised the probability of finding ''O. humifusa'' even higher.

However, if any feature of this terrain was inconducive to ''O. humifusa'', it was a lack of full exposure to sunlight.  The rocky outcrops on High Rock Mountain were too tightly crowded by forest, leaving little room for the shade-intolerant ''O. humifusa'' to take hold.  There were a few areas which offered sufficient sunlight exposure, but they were few and far between.  In addition, it seemed that many of the larger, exposed areas were home to an unusually high diversity of herbaceous plants which would probably out-compete ''O. humifusa''.