The 8a microclimate of the Calidiora Peninsula

[Muslim Gardener]

A few months ago I left Kurdistan and moved to Virginia in the United States where I have been experimenting with hardy palm trees and exotics. Let me tell you about the 8a microclimate of my new home.

The Calidiora Peninsula is a large piece of land in Virginia which is separated from the rest of the Virginia Peninsula by Skiffes Creek and Felgates Creek in the Northern area of the Calidiora Peninsula. The USDA hardiness zone of the Calidiora Peninsula is USDA zones 7b and 8a. The closer to Fort Monroe you get, the warmer it is. The closer to Skiffes Creek you get, the more cold the Winter can be. This year, it got only down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit on a late December night around Christmas and currently (late February) the lows are staying above 37 degrees Fahrenheit and many nights are lows in the 50s.

I have met many palm tree growing enthusiasts and even found Spanish Moss growing in Newport News, VA near the Friendly Forest Pet & Pedestrian Path. Locals tell me rumors that Sabal minor was once native to Newport News and Hampton and even Yorktown. Legend has it that the Calidiora Peninsula was the northernmost native range of Dwarf palmetto until the colonists wiped out all except a few dozen of them. I have been exploring the swamps near an area which can be found on Google Maps called Aiden Stalnik's Forest Trail & Lake and have found many Quercus hemisphaerica and Southern Live Oaks as well as Bald Cypress and Sabal Palmettos. This was in the woods to the East of Aiden Stalnik's Forest Lake & Trail. The Sabal minor could've been planted but its in an inaccessible swamp and they are older palms that are producing seeds.