Plants from a nursery almost always come with extras in the pot. I usually pluck them out but in this case, I got lucky with this little Verbena. It looks really pretty surrounding the barrel cactus. Spread your little seeds, Verbena!
Tag Archives: cactus
room for the day
The center of the Golden Barrels is like a bed of wool and I think the Sphinx moth has considered it a good place to hide out until the sun goes down.
photoshop police
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!
echinocereus
The common name is Hedgehog but this is not the local native so I have no idea what color or how large the bloom will be. I’m guessing it will be something showy but of course I’ll post a photo of whatever it is when it shows up.
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.
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.
