As I was trying to think what to post this morning, Whattheduck .net came to mind. Below is a very funny photoshop related strip which inspired my work this morning 🙂
Original link: 50 CC’s of Undo….Stat!
Tag Archives: cactus
Fish Hook barrel blooms
I was hoping for a full ring of flowers on this Fish Hook Barrel at the end of the driveway. It probably won’t happen this time. The blooms are best in the middle of the day. (Should have used a diffuser).
mammillaria fruit
Keep an eye out for fruit on Mammillaria. If you’re lucky, you’ll find one with a full circle of these neat little fruits. They’re pretty tasty, by the way.
Cochineal at work
While looking for a photo this morning, I found what I knew to be a Cochineal infestation on a Prickly Pear cactus. The history of Cochineal bugs is very interesting if you’ve never heard it. They are a source of red dye considered so highly prized at one time that it was listed on the London and Amsterdam Commodities Exchanges. Click here to read all about it.
We rarely see Cochineal on native cactus. This Prickly Pear was purchased at a nursery.
guarding the preserve
Cholla skeletons can be very interesting. I particularly love this chainfruit cholla skeleton because I think it looks like a Shaman and I think of him as standing guard over the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.
Last night we joined him in a little sunset celebration.
bee there
I could hear the bees buzzing “Pssst….Sunset at the Chainfruit Cholla….bee there!” so I drove out to Rock Knob again last night 🙂
(By the way, note the difference in coloring from yesterday’s image. Yesterday’s was shot in the shade which would make it bluer but not that blue! I did a terrible job of color correcting).
chainfruit cholla bloom
Another first for my archives…a Chainfruit Cholla bloom. It wouldn’t have taken so long to get this photo if I had checked to see when they bloom! Unlike other cactus, you’re more likely to see Chainfruit blooms during the summer and that is not a time I’m normally out hiking. It’s on my calendar now, though, so I’ll be ready for next year 🙂
fencepost
What appear to be very large red spines on this Mexican Fencepost are in actuality only between 1/16th and 1/4th of an inch. Pretty good photo considering I’m shooting hand held with my Canon S5. Many Canon point and shoots have a “Super Macro” mode that lets you get incredibly close.
3 bags full
Wool is not something most people think of when they see a cactus but that is what this fuzzy stuff is called. This is a Golden Barrel Cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) that I planted last week. Very slow but extremely drought tolerant.
