Native Perennial
Light: full sun
Soil Type: Sandy, well-drained
Soil Moisture: moist to dry
Size: 6-12" tall; 12-18" wide
Bloom Time: June-August
Bloom Color: Yellow, Yellow w/ red-orange centers
Attracts: Native Bees, Butterflies, Birds
Pollinator Benefit: particularly good for native bees according to the Pollinator Partnership
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern Prickly Pear (Opuntia cespitosa) - Eastern prickly pear is an easy-to-care-for cactus, favored by desert dwellers and cool-weather gardeners alike. Its stems are divided into flat paddle-like segments that are approximately two to seven inches long with a blue tint. The narrow spines are wedge-shaped and the flowers, which come into bloom in mid-summer, are a brilliant yellow. East of the Appalachian Mountains, the flowers often have a red or orange center. The flowers are followed by edible purple or red fruits called tunas. These are the prickly pears and, though they're not as large and tasty as the prickly pears of O. ficus-indica, they can be made into nice jellies and pickles.
Prickly pears are a cactus, so they need well-draining soil first and foremost. Plant in full sun in a sandy or gravely mix and go easy on the water. Also, don’t be alarmed if your plants appear to deflate during the winter—this is their normal response to dormancy, and they’ll plump back up in spring.
Sources:
https://www.thespruce.com/growing-prickly-pear-1402857 https://www.dev.pollinator.org/pollinator.org/assets/generalFiles/Opuntia.draft.pdf