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Polo showed pictures of a forest, a swamp, a beach, hills, and some subdivisions. You don't think you can find that in other parts of the country?
Hell, you can find that on Staten Island.
I think you are ridiculously naive.
The difference is that we don't have tremendous elevations. We aren't a mountainous state. So the pictures are as contrasting, they all have "open" sky.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trimac20
For it's size Hawaii is extremely diverse, and I would actually put it above bigger states like Texas. While not large in area, Hawaii spans something like 600 miles (which is basically as long as Texas) and includes many climate zones like rainforest, tropical savanna, temperate (on the slopes of the mountains), and alpine on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.
Where else can you see canyons, beaches, coral reefs, the wettest place in the US, active volcanoes (which even get snow sometimes) in one place? It also ranks fourth in height with Mauna Kea.
I forgot to mention deserts. Parts of Hawaii are true desert island.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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I think Hawaii blows away states like NY, Texas in diversity. Eastern states are nowhere near as diverse as western states. Hawaii even beats Washington State, imo...
for instance, New York has maybe two main types of forest, deciduous and mixed, while Hawaii has desert with cacti, rainforest, something resembling temperate dry forest, temperate rainforest, alpine vegetation.
People should stop thinking Hawaii is only some beachy tropical island because compared to most tropical islands in the world it is extremely diverse.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AlGreen
Is it actual desert or does it just resemble a desert? Don't islands have windward and leeward sides, with the latter not receiving as much rain? I don't think that would necessarily a desert.
Yes, Staten Island is small, about 50 square miles.
Yet, Staten Island has forests, freshwater swamps, saltwater marshes, off shore islands, hills, a Dwarf Pine Forest, Kettle Ponds, peat bogs, sandy barrens, streams and a terminal moraine.
I am not trying to say that Texas is not a beautiful state. But I noticed that on every thread that features diversity, some Texans feel they have to lecture everyone how more diverse their state is than everywhere else.
What about swamp plant to cacti floral diversity? Texas has the climactic changes within the triangle.
Polo showed pictures of a forest, a swamp, a beach, hills, and some subdivisions. You don't think you can find that in other parts of the country?
Hell, you can find that on Staten Island.
Agree it is like the same differences are excluded in area not TX for some reason. I also agree on your point that given the size of TX one would expect greater diversity, or at least contrasting diversity.
And everything they posted in the Houston has at least a comparable change in Jersey plus some including differnt growing zones which actually vary widely from Cape May to the NW portion. The cape may area has similarities to areas found much further south in this sense, and species of plants found in the pine barrens are only found much further south outside of this micro climate. Not saying it is the most diverse but Houston in general is not terrible diverse or at least compared to many other metros, a NYC or Philly would likely this diversity in all honesty. But again I assume this would not be accepted by some others...
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