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  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-8.jpg
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-6.jpg
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-2.jpg
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-5.jpg
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-10.jpg
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-7.jpg
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-1.jpg
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-9.jpg
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-4.jpg
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-3.jpg
  • This tall and incredibly spiky member of the poppy family found only in Arizona and New Mexico. These were found growing along the side of a highway near Sells, Arizona.
    Southwestern Prickly Poppies
  • This tall and incredibly spiky member of the poppy family found only in Arizona and New Mexico. This one was found growing along the side of a highway near Sells, Arizona.
    Southwestern Prickly Poppy
  • Musk thistle is a very spiky, invasive species from Eurasia and has now become a noxious weed throughout most of the world. This one was photographed in Logan County just outside of Sterling, Colorado.
    Musk Thistle
  • This tall and incredibly spiky member of the poppy family found only in Arizona and New Mexico. These were found growing along the side of a highway near Sells, Arizona.
    Southwestern Prickly Poppies
  • This tall and incredibly spiky member of the poppy family found only in Arizona and New Mexico. This one was found growing along the side of a highway near Sells, Arizona.
    Southwestern Prickly Poppy
  • Slightly smaller than other raven species found around the world and about the size of the American crow, this Mexican raven may look like any other raven, but the differences stop there. Most notably, the under-feathers on its neck are pure white. In the dry grasslands of the American Southwest it replaces the common raven (Corvus corax) of the north and breeds in the Southwestern United States, but it is far more common to the south in Mexico where it is found year-round. At northern end of range (eastern Colorado, western Kansas), the Chihuahuan raven is far less common today than in 1800s. I saw this one quite by accident as I was setting up my tent and cooking some dinner on my travels on a small ground fire on top of a hill overlooking Sonoyta, Mexico in Southern Arizona on the US-Mexico border. It got my attention by crowing on top of an almost-flowering saguaro cactus while I was waiting for the water to boil on my camp stove.
    Chihuahuan Raven on a Saguaro
  • From personal experience, the teddybear cholla (named for the thick, bristling spines that almost look like soft fur) are a real eye-opener when one first makes physical contact with this native of the American Southwest. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. This one was found growing (without touching) along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • From personal experience, the teddybear cholla (named for the thick, bristling spines that almost look like soft fur) are a real eye-opener when one first makes physical contact with this native of the American Southwest. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. These were found and photographed<br />
growing (without touching) in the open Sonoran Desert in the Picacho Peak Wilderness Area in Southern California's rural Imperial County.
    Teddybear Chollas
  • Also commonly called the diamond or branched pencil cholla, this hardy tree-like cactus is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the Southwestern United States, California, and Northwestern Mexico, and to Baja California and its San Benito Islands. Uncommon in its range compared to other cholla species, the pencil cholla is usually found in well-drained sandy, gravelly, and rocky soils on flats, bajadas, and moderate slopes into the lower mountains in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) habitats. Easily identified by the smooth surface of the stems with a distinct diamond-shaped pattern, each scale-like flat tubercle sprouts a viciously long, 2-inch golden-tipped silvery-white spine on the youngest and newest growth. This one was found growing along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Pencil Cholla
  • Close-up look at the fishhook-like spines of the aptly-named fishhook barrel cactus, this one found and photographed between the Ajo and Puerto Blanco Mountains ranges in the Sonoran Desert in Southern Pima County, Arizona. This rather common large barrel cactus found in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of the American Southwest with a range stretching from Arizona through New Mexico to Texas, as well as south of the border into the northern parts of the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua. Bright yellow fruit emerge and develop throughout the year after its bright orange blossoms are pollinated in summer, and by the following spring they will look like this. As with many cacti, it has many regional names such as the Arizona barrel and biznaga-barril de Nuevo México and is found in open rocky ground, shrub-steppe, chaparral and at the base of desert hills and mountains where there is some gathering of water during seasonal rains. Mature plants can reach upwards of 5 feet tall, and live to 50 to 130 years, and as they get larger, they will tend to lean to face south or southwest-ward, which is why come people also call it the compass cactus. Vicious recurved spines (or "fishhooks") protect it from predators such as javelinas, and the fleshy yellow fruits are an important food source for birds, mule deer, and javelinas.
    Fishhook Barrel Cactus Spines
  • The brown-spined prickly pear (also regionally known as the tulip or desert prickly pear) is another widespread member of the Opuntia genus that is found throughout all of the American Southwestern States including Nebraska and even South Dakota and is found across most of Northern Mexico. One of the things that make this particular species so amazing is the adaptability to drastically different environments: it can be found thriving in the driest of lowland deserts to the moist, cold forests of the Rocky Mountains. As a result, there are several variable physical attributes that make identifying this species confusing at best. Springtime flowers are variable from lemon yellow, orange or pink, usually with but sometimes without a reddish center. This one was found growing in the Ajo Mountains in Southern Arizona near the Mexican Border.
    Brown-Spined Prickly Pear
  • Engelmann's prickly pear is one of the most (if not the most) widespread of the prickly pear cacti. It is found in all of the American Southwestern States (except Colorado) and can even be found as far east as Louisiana, Mississippi and Missouri and is widespread throughout much of Mexico. Oddly enough , it has become an invasive species in Kenya! The sweet, juicy fruits are a traditional and still very important food source wildlife an for many tribes and nations of the Native Americans and is commonly used in Latin American cuisine.
    Engelmann's Prickly Pear
  • This beautiful thick, cylindrical cactus found here in Big Bend National Park in West Texas is a species with dozens of common names such as: straw-colored hedgehog, pitaya, alicoche, green strawberry hedgehog cactus, etc. It is found natively in the Chihuahuan Desert close to the Rio Grande, specifically in west and south Texas, Dona Ana County in southern New Mexico, as well as in the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila and Sonora. Recent spring rains have caused these plants to swell up with stored rainwater.
    Cob Cactus
  • One of the most striking and beautiful of all the "barrel" cacti of the American Southwestern deserts, the claret cup cactus (also known regionally by many names such as the kingcup, queencup, hedgehog cactus, pitaya roja, etc.) has large, showy and brilliantly red flowers that attract and are pollinated by hummingbirds. Unlike most cacti, the flowers of the claret cup stay open at night. Some native American tribes who shared the same habitat would collect these cacti, burn off the sharp spines, and mash them into a pulp with some locally procured sweetener (honey?) and bake them into mini sweet cakes. This one was found and photographed on a beautiful spring day in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Northwestern Texas.
    Claret Cup Cactus
  • One of the most striking and beautiful of all the "barrel" cacti of the American Southwestern deserts, the claret cup cactus (also known regionally by many names such as the kingcup, queencup, hedgehog cactus, pitaya roja, etc.) has large, showy and brilliantly red flowers that attract and are pollinated by hummingbirds. Unlike most cacti, the flowers of the claret cup stay open at night. Some native American tribes who shared the same habitat would collect these cacti, burn off the sharp spines, and mash them into a pulp with some locally procured sweetener (honey?) and bake them into mini sweet cakes. This one was found and photographed on a beautiful spring day in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Northwestern Texas.
    Claret Cup Cactus
  • One of the most striking and beautiful of all the "barrel" cacti of the American Southwestern deserts, the claret cup cactus (also known regionally by many names such as the kingcup, queencup, hedgehog cactus, pitaya roja, etc.) has large, showy and brilliantly red flowers that attract and are pollinated by hummingbirds. Unlike most cacti, the flowers of the claret cup stay open at night. Some native American tribes who shared the same habitat would collect these cacti, burn off the sharp spines, and mash them into a pulp with some locally procured sweetener (honey?) and bake them into mini sweet cakes. This one was found and photographed on a beautiful spring day in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Northwestern Texas.
    Claret Cup Cactus
  • Found only within the greater Big Bend Region, this prickly pear can be vibrant green during wet times, or deep magenta during colder months or dry times. Yellow flowers with red centers will bloom from April to July.  This one was photographed<br />
 in Big Bend National Park in Western Texas.
    Purplish Prickly Pear
  • The buckhorn colla is very variable in color from one plant to another. This one was photographed a couple of miles from the Arizona-Mexico border near the Pipe Organ National Monument next to several others that were loaded with fire-orange flowers.
    Buckhorn Cholla
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • From personal experience, the teddybear cholla (named for the thick, bristling spines that almost look like soft fur) are a real eye-opener when one first makes physical contact with this native of the American Southwest. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. This one was found growing (without touching) along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • Also known by other other common names such as the devil's-head cactus and horse crippler, this small, extremely slow-growing native cactus of the Chihuahuan and Sonoran Deserts is found in Southern Arizona and New Mexico, Western Texas and can be found in the wild as far south as Mexico City. This cylindrical cactus is usually found alone, rather than in clusters and is believed to live to 75-100 years! The dense, wooly-haired mass at the top of this eagle claw cactus will produce a large 2-3 inch pink flower by the end of each summer. This particular cactus was found and photographed in Big Bend National Park in Brewster County in Western Texas in mid-April.
    Eagle Claw Cactus
  • Found only within the greater Big Bend Region, this prickly pear can be vibrant green during wet times, or deep magenta during colder months or dry times. Yellow flowers with red centers will bloom from April to July.  This one was photographed<br />
 in Big Bend National Park in Western Texas.
    Purplish Prickly Pear
  • Iconic symbol of the Sonoran Desert and the American Southwest, this saguaro cactus stands tall among the many thousands of others in Southern Arizona near the Mexican border below the Puerto Blanco Mountains.
    Saguaro Cactus
  • It's been discoved that these highly-dense covering of pale spines not only deter animals from eating it, but also reflect heat, keeping the cactus cool and shaded at the same time.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • Closeup detail of a blooming teddybear cholla in the Mojave Desert. These bright canary-yellow blossoms are about the size of a lemon with green stalks and pistils, bright yellow anthers, and a rose-pink highlings on the outside of the petals.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • The snowball cactus - also known as the mountains ball cactus or Simpson's hedgehog cactus - is very similar to many of the hedgehog cacti of the American Southwest, except this species is found natively only in the arid sagebrush deserts of Oregon and Washington. Sometimes found growing singly or in pairs, they can also form massive clumps of plants and are unfortunately becoming rare in their native habitat due to plant poaching by collectors, which is unfortunate as they don't take to replanting well. This photo was taken just to the west of Vantage, WA in the rural hills near Whiskey Dick Mountain.
    Snowball Cactus (Pediocactus nigrisp..nus)
  • The snowball cactus - also known as the mountains ball cactus or Simpson's hedgehog cactus - is very similar to many of the hedgehog cacti of the American Southwest, except this species is found natively only in the arid sagebrush deserts of Oregon and Washington. Sometimes found growing singly or in pairs, they can also form massive clumps of plants and are unfortunately becoming rare in their native habitat due to plant poaching by collectors, which is unfortunate as they don't take to replanting well. This photo was taken just to the west of Vantage, WA in the rural hills near Whiskey Dick Mountain.
    Snowball Cactus (Pediocactus nigrisp..nus)
  • The snowball cactus - also known as the mountains ball cactus or Simpson's hedgehog cactus - is very similar to many of the hedgehog cacti of the American Southwest, except this species is found natively only in the arid sagebrush deserts of Oregon and Washington. Sometimes found growing singly or in pairs, they can also form massive clumps of plants and are unfortunately becoming rare in their native habitat due to plant poaching by collectors, which is unfortunate as they don't take to replanting well. This photo was taken just to the west of Vantage, WA in the rural hills near Whiskey Dick Mountain.
    Snowball Cactus (Pediocactus nigrisp..nus)
  • The snowball cactus - also known as the mountains ball cactus or Simpson's hedgehog cactus - is very similar to many of the hedgehog cacti of the American Southwest, except this species is found natively only in the arid sagebrush deserts of Oregon and Washington. Sometimes found growing singly or in pairs, they can also form massive clumps of plants and are unfortunately becoming rare in their native habitat due to plant poaching by collectors, which is unfortunate as they don't take to replanting well. This photo was taken just to the west of Vantage, WA in the rural hills near Whiskey Dick Mountain.
    Snowball Cactus (Pediocactus nigrisp..nus)
  • Slightly smaller than other raven species found around the world and about the size of the American crow, this Mexican raven may look like any other raven, but the differences stop there. Most notably, the under-feathers on its neck are pure white. In the dry grasslands of the American Southwest it replaces the common raven (Corvus corax) of the north and breeds in the Southwestern United States, but it is far more common to the south in Mexico where it is found year-round. At northern end of range (eastern Colorado, western Kansas), the Chihuahuan raven is far less common today than in 1800s. I saw this one quite by accident as I was setting up my tent and cooking some dinner on my travels on a small ground fire on top of a hill overlooking Sonoyta, Mexico in Southern Arizona on the US-Mexico border. It got my attention by crowing on top of an almost-flowering saguaro cactus while I was waiting for the water to boil on my camp stove.
    Chihuahuan Raven in the Wind
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one with deep red and yellow flowers was found and photographed in the Alamo Canyon, deep in the Ajo Mountains of Southern Pima County, Arizona near the Mexican border.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one with deep red and yellow flowers was found and photographed in the Alamo Canyon, deep in the Ajo Mountains of Southern Pima County, Arizona near the Mexican border.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Also commonly called the diamond or branched pencil cholla, this hardy tree-like cactus is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the Southwestern United States, California, and Northwestern Mexico, and to Baja California and its San Benito Islands. Uncommon in its range compared to other cholla species, the pencil cholla is usually found in well-drained sandy, gravelly, and rocky soils on flats, bajadas, and moderate slopes into the lower mountains in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) habitats. Easily identified by the smooth surface of the stems with a distinct diamond-shaped pattern, each scale-like flat tubercle sprouts a viciously long, 2-inch golden-tipped silvery-white spine on the youngest and newest growth. This one was found growing along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Pencil Cholla
  • Also commonly called the diamond or branched pencil cholla, this hardy tree-like cactus is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the Southwestern United States, California, and Northwestern Mexico, and to Baja California and its San Benito Islands. Uncommon in its range compared to other cholla species, the pencil cholla is usually found in well-drained sandy, gravelly, and rocky soils on flats, bajadas, and moderate slopes into the lower mountains in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) habitats. Easily identified by the smooth surface of the stems with a distinct diamond-shaped pattern, each scale-like flat tubercle sprouts a viciously long, 2-inch golden-tipped silvery-white spine on the youngest and newest growth. This one was found growing along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Pencil Cholla
  • Close-up look at the spines of a young fishhook barrel cactus, this one found and photographed in the Alamo Canyon, deep in the Ajo Mountains of Southern Pima County, Arizona near the Mexican border. As this plant grows larger, these spines will turn back inwards, giving them a "fishhook" like appearance. This rather common large barrel cactus found in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of the American Southwest with a range stretching from Arizona through New Mexico to Texas, as well as south of the border into the northern parts of the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua. Bright yellow fruit emerge and develop throughout the year after its bright orange blossoms are pollinated in summer, and by the following spring they will look like this. As with many cacti, it has many regional names such as the Arizona barrel and biznaga-barril de Nuevo México and is found in open rocky ground, shrub-steppe, chaparral and at the base of desert hills and mountains where there is some gathering of water during seasonal rains. Mature plants can reach upwards of 5 feet tall, and live to 50 to 130 years, and as they get larger, they will tend to lean to face south or southwest-ward, which is why come people also call it the compass cactus. Vicious recurved spines (or "fishhooks") protect it from predators such as javelinas, and the fleshy yellow fruits are an important food source for birds, mule deer, and javelinas.
    Fishhook Barrel Cactus Spines
  • The spiny-fruited prickly pear (Opuntia x spinosibacca) is a naturally occurring hybrid between two overlapping Opuntia species (O. aureispina and O. phaeacantha) found in the Big-Bend Region of Texas and is believed to be reproducing with others of the same hybrid in the wild, which is a common way over time we end up with distinct new species. In some circles, it is already being referred to as a unique species: Opuntia spinosibacca. Although they are considered rare in the wild, I happened to find many hundreds of them in bloom like this one spread out in the lowland region north of the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park in West Texas near the Rio Grande.
    Spiny-Fruited Prickly Pear
  • This natural hybrid (Opuntia engelmannii x phaecantha) of two common and local prickly pear cacti - the Engelmann's Prickly Pear (Opuntia engelmannii) and the brown-spined prickly pear (Opuntia phaecantha),  shows characteristics of both and have resulted in a large, mature beautiful cactus growing at some elevation in the Ajo Mountains in Southern Arizona. Since so many of our native members of the Opuntia genus are so closely related and have overlapping natural ranges, hybridization is common among many species, and is the source of much confusion and frustration for biologist and naturalist alike! This particular plant has the beautiful silvery white spines and flower petal shape of O. engelmannii and the flower coloration and growth pattern of O. phaecantha.
    Natural Prickly Pear Hybrid
  • This natural hybrid (Opuntia engelmannii x phaecantha) of two common and local prickly pear cacti - the Engelmann's Prickly Pear (Opuntia engelmannii) and the brown-spined prickly pear (Opuntia phaecantha),  shows characteristics of both and have resulted in a large, mature beautiful cactus growing at some elevation in the Ajo Mountains in Southern Arizona. Since so many of our native members of the Opuntia genus are so closely related and have overlapping natural ranges, hybridization is common among many species, and is the source of much confusion and frustration for biologist and naturalist alike! This particular plant has the beautiful silvery white spines and flower petal shape of O. engelmannii and the flower coloration and growth pattern of O. phaecantha.
    Natural Prickly Pear Hybrid
  • This natural hybrid (Opuntia engelmannii x phaecantha) of two common and local prickly pear cacti - the Engelmann's Prickly Pear (Opuntia engelmannii) and the brown-spined prickly pear (Opuntia phaecantha),  shows characteristics of both and have resulted in a large, mature beautiful cactus growing at some elevation in the Ajo Mountains in Southern Arizona. Since so many of our native members of the Opuntia genus are so closely related and have overlapping natural ranges, hybridization is common among many species, and is the source of much confusion and frustration for biologist and naturalist alike! This particular plant has the beautiful silvery white spines and flower petal shape of O. engelmannii and the flower coloration and growth pattern of O. phaecantha.
    Natural Prickly Pear Hybrid
  • This beautiful thick, cylindrical cactus found here in Big Bend National Park in West Texas is a species with dozens of common names such as: straw-colored hedgehog, pitaya, alicoche, green strawberry hedgehog cactus, etc. It is found natively in the Chihuahuan Desert close to the Rio Grande, specifically in west and south Texas, Dona Ana County in southern New Mexico, as well as in the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila and Sonora. Recent spring rains have caused these plants to swell up with stored rainwater.
    Cob Cactus
  • Yet another cactus with many regional common names, Grusonia clavata is found throughout most of Arizona and in most of New Mexico, excluding eastern and southwestern parts of the state. These vicious-looking cholla cacti have already bloomed this year, and were photographed in Central New Mexico just south of Albuquerque in the Chihuahuan Desert.
    Devil Cholla
  • This cactus is native subspecies of the green-flowering hedgehog cactus and is common from mid-to-high elevations, favoring volcanic soils. The cylindrical stem of this cactus may branch to form large colonies. Rusty-red flowers with darker purplish maroon midstripes and greenish-yellow anthers grow from the middle third of the stem and do not open very wide. Found in the United States only in Brewster County in the Big Bend area of Texas, this one was found growing below the Chisos Mountains near the Rio Grande.
    Brown-flowered Cactus
  • One of the most striking and beautiful of all the "barrel" cacti of the American Southwestern deserts, the claret cup cactus (also known regionally by many names such as the kingcup, queencup, hedgehog cactus, pitaya roja, etc.) has large, showy and brilliantly red flowers that attract and are pollinated by hummingbirds. Unlike most cacti, the flowers of the claret cup stay open at night. Some native American tribes who shared the same habitat would collect these cacti, burn off the sharp spines, and mash them into a pulp with some locally procured sweetener (honey?) and bake them into mini sweet cakes. This one was found and photographed on a beautiful spring day in the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in Central New Mexico.
    Claret Cup Cactus
  • One of the most striking and beautiful of all the "barrel" cacti of the American Southwestern deserts, the claret cup cactus (also known regionally by many names such as the kingcup, queencup, hedgehog cactus, pitaya roja, etc.) has large, showy and brilliantly red flowers that attract and are pollinated by hummingbirds. Unlike most cacti, the flowers of the claret cup stay open at night. Some native American tribes who shared the same habitat would collect these cacti, burn off the sharp spines, and mash them into a pulp with some locally procured sweetener (honey?) and bake them into mini sweet cakes. This one was found and photographed on a beautiful spring day in the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in Central New Mexico.
    Claret Cup Cactus
  • One of the most striking and beautiful of all the "barrel" cacti of the American Southwestern deserts, the claret cup cactus (also known regionally by many names such as the kingcup, queencup, hedgehog cactus, pitaya roja, etc.) has large, showy and brilliantly red flowers that attract and are pollinated by hummingbirds. Unlike most cacti, the flowers of the claret cup stay open at night. Some native American tribes who shared the same habitat would collect these cacti, burn off the sharp spines, and mash them into a pulp with some locally procured sweetener (honey?) and bake them into mini sweet cakes. This one was found and photographed on a beautiful spring day in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Northwestern Texas.
    Claret Cup Cactus
  • The Arizona fishhook cactus (also known as Graham's nipple cactus) is not only limited to Arizona, but is  also found in California, New Mexico and Texas, as well as much of Northern Mexico. One of the most interesting things about this particular native species of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts are the recurved "fishhook" spines. This one was found in Southern Arizona's Diablo Mountains near the Mexican border.
    Arizona Fishhook
  • The Arizona fishhook cactus (also known as Graham's nipple cactus) is not only limited to Arizona, but is  also found in California, New Mexico and Texas, as well as much of Northern Mexico. One of the most interesting things about this particular native species of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts are the recurved "fishhook" spines. This one was found in Southern Arizona's Diablo Mountains near the Mexican border.
    Arizona Fishhook
  • Found only within the greater Big Bend Region, this prickly pear can be vibrant green during wet times, or deep magenta during colder months or dry times. Yellow flowers with red centers will bloom from April to July.  This one was photographed<br />
 in Big Bend National Park in Western Texas.
    Purplish Prickly Pear
  • Found only within the greater Big Bend Region, this prickly pear can be vibrant green during wet times, or deep magenta during colder months or dry times. Yellow flowers with red centers will bloom from April to July.  This one was photographed<br />
 in Big Bend National Park in Western Texas.
    Purplish Prickly Pear
  • Found only within the greater Big Bend Region, this prickly pear can be vibrant green during wet times, or deep magenta during colder months or dry times. Yellow flowers with red centers will bloom from April to July.  This one was photographed<br />
 in Big Bend National Park in Western Texas.
    Purplish Prickly Pear
  • This fantastically beautiful and very long-spined cactus found in the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas and Arizona in the United States, and in the Mexican states of Coahuila, Chihuahua, and Nuevo León. It gets its species name (stramineus - which means made of straw) from the way these thick, brittle spines resemble dried straw. Clumps of 100 or more stems are not uncommon, and when they are in flower, it is one of the most spectacular of all of the Chihuahuan cacti! This one was photographed in Western Texas in Big Bend National Park.
    Strawberry Pitaya
  • This fantastically beautiful and very long-spined cactus found in the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas and Arizona in the United States, and in the Mexican states of Coahuila, Chihuahua, and Nuevo León. It gets its species name (stramineus - which means made of straw) from the way these thick, brittle spines resemble dried straw. Clumps of 100 or more stems are not uncommon, and when they are in flower, it is one of the most spectacular of all of the Chihuahuan cacti! This one was photographed in Western Texas in Big Bend National Park.
    Strawberry Pitaya
  • A beavertail cactus in the Sonoran Desert just outside of Palo Verde in Southern California showing the developing fruits on the top of the pads. You can still see the dried up flowers that have yet to fall off since they were pollinated.
    Beavertail Cactus
  • A beavertail cactus in the Sonoran Desert just outside of Palo Verde in Southern California showing the developing fruits on the top of the pads. You can still see the dried up flowers that have yet to fall off since they were pollinated.
    Beavertail Cactus
  • Also known as the purple prickly pear, this incredibly beautiful Mexican Opuntia cactus develops fantastic purple pads that perfectly compliment the bright yellow (sometimes red) flowers. Native to Northern Mexico from Baja California to the Chihuahuan Desert, its American range extends only into Pima County in Southern Arizona where these were found in peak bloom and photographed just outside of the park borders of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
    Santa Rita Prickly Pear
  • Also known as the purple prickly pear, this incredibly beautiful Mexican Opuntia cactus develops fantastic purple pads that perfectly compliment the bright yellow (sometimes red) flowers. Native to Northern Mexico from Baja California to the Chihuahuan Desert, its American range extends only into Pima County in Southern Arizona where these were found in peak bloom and photographed just outside of the park borders of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
    Santa Rita Prickly Pear
  • Iconic symbol of the Sonoran Desert and the American Southwest - and the state flower of Arizona, this saguaro cactus is in full bloom in Southern Arizona near the Mexican border below the Puerto Blanco Mountains.
    Saguaro Blossoms!
  • Saguaro cacti on the US-Mexico border on Southwestern Arizona at sunset.
    Saguaro: On the Border
  • Here is a full-sized teddybear cholla in the Mojave Desert in Southern California. New fresh spines are off-white and as dense as fur (someone decided to make the teddybear comparison, hence the common name), and as the section ages, it turns darker to eventually black. You can see in this photo that the top half is heavily laden with fruit.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • Sometimes referred to as beargrass, this native desert species is actually a member of the lily family, even though it has a striking resemblnce at first to members of the yucca family. Found primarily in the Mojave Desert of Southern California, it is also found in limited numbers in Arizona's Sornoran Desert. Unusual for plants that grow in very dry, arid locations, the Bigelow's nolina is one one of the very few evergreen plants that grows in it's habitat. This group of flowering nolinas were photographed in Califonia's Joshua Tree National Park in the early spring morning sunlight.
    Bigelow's Nolina
  • I noticed this beautifully colored California barrel cactus on top of a ridge in the many canyons of Nevada's Valley of Fire as I was photographing the sunrise. The vivid color of the early morning light just lit up the rock and cactus with the most vivid, intense colors!
    California Barrel
  • This great find in a purplish prickly pear cactus flower (Opuntia azurea) in Big Bend National Park in West Texas was an exciting one for me. This bee assassin bug is a clever hunter of bees and other pollinating insects found throughout much of North America. It is most often found inside flowers waiting to stab the unsuspecting insect attracted to the flower's sweet nectar with its sharp proboscis, where it will literally drink its prey dry. Even though this one is covered in pollen, you can still see the warning colors of black and red (aposematic coloration) warning birds and other predators that this bug is not safe to eat or hunt.
    Bee Assassin on Purplish Prickly Pear
  • Close-up of the flowers of the ocotillo, a somewhat common Southwestern plant found in most of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. In the spring, the long, thorny spines sprout small green leaves and brilliantly orange flowers from the mature stems that attract and are pollinated by hummingbirds and carpenter bees. This one was found way out in SE California near the Arizona Border in Imperial County.
    Ocotillo Flowers
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Close-up view of the teddybear cholla in flower. This common and impressive native cactus of the American Southwest is found Southern California, Nevada and Arizona, as well as most of Northern Mexico. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. This one was found growing (without touching) along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • The fishhook barrel cactus is a rather common large barrel cactus found in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of the American Southwest with a range stretching from Arizona through New Mexico to Texas, as well as south of the border into the northern parts of the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua. Bright yellow fruit emerge and develop throughout the year after its bright orange blossoms are pollinated in summer, and by the following spring they will look like this. As with many cacti, it has many regional names such as the Arizona barrel and biznaga-barril de Nuevo México and is found in open rocky ground, shrub-steppe, chaparral and at the base of desert hills and mountains where there is some gathering of water during seasonal rains. Mature plants can reach upwards of 5 feet tall, and live to 50 to 130 years, and as they get larger, they will tend to lean to face south or southwest-ward, which is why come people also call it the compass cactus. Vicious recurved spines (or "fishhooks") protect it from predators such as javelinas, and the fleshy yellow fruits are an important food source for birds, mule deer, and javelinas. This one was found and photographed between the Ajo and Puerto Blanco Mountains ranges in the Sonoran Desert in Southern Pima County, Arizona.
    Fishhook Barrel
  • The nylon hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus viridiflorus var. cylindricus) is native subspecies of the green-flowering hedgehog cactus, and is found in a narrow band stretching from the Big Bend of Texas and Mexico to southern New Mexico, and is mainly found in the Franklin Mountains near El Paso, Texas. It has distinct creamy orange flowers and shows extreme variability in spine color: white, yellow, brown, reddish, black. Some plants have only short radials while other have a variable number of centrals. This one was photographed in the Big Bend National Park near the Rio Grande.
    Nylon Hedgehog Cactus
  • This cactus is native subspecies of the green-flowering hedgehog cactus and is common from mid-to-high elevations, favoring volcanic soils. The cylindrical stem of this cactus may branch to form large colonies. Rusty-red flowers with darker purplish maroon midstripes and greenish-yellow anthers grow from the middle third of the stem and do not open very wide. Found in the United States only in Brewster County in the Big Bend area of Texas, this one was found growing below the Chisos Mountains near the Rio Grande.
    Brown-flowered Cactus
  • This cactus is native subspecies of the green-flowering hedgehog cactus and is common from mid-to-high elevations, favoring volcanic soils. The cylindrical stem of this cactus may branch to form large colonies. Rusty-red flowers with darker purplish maroon midstripes and greenish-yellow anthers grow from the middle third of the stem and do not open very wide. Found in the United States only in Brewster County in the Big Bend area of Texas, this one was found growing below the Chisos Mountains near the Rio Grande.
    Brown-flowered Cactus
  • The cane cholla is a very common native cactus species found across much of Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, and Chihuahua and Sonora in Mexico. It prefers sandy to loamy soils at lower elevations, and has a lot of variety when it comes to flower color, and they are almost always very bright in color: yellow, pink, red, orange, etc. These were found just north of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument near Ajo, Arizona growing naturally in the Sonoran Desert on a bright, sunny spring morning near the Mexican border.
    Cane Cholla
  • The cane cholla is a very common native cactus species found across much of Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, and Chihuahua and Sonora in Mexico. It prefers sandy to loamy soils at lower elevations, and has a lot of variety when it comes to flower color, and they are almost always very bright in color: yellow, pink, red, orange, etc. These were found just north of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument near Ajo, Arizona growing naturally in the Sonoran Desert on a bright, sunny spring morning near the Mexican border.
    Cane Cholla
  • The Arizona fishhook cactus (also known as Graham's nipple cactus) is not only limited to Arizona, but is  also found in California, New Mexico and Texas, as well as much of Northern Mexico. One of the most interesting things about this particular native species of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts are the recurved "fishhook" spines. This one was found in Southern Arizona's Diablo Mountains near the Mexican border.
    Arizona Fishhook
  • Found only within the greater Big Bend Region, this prickly pear can be vibrant green during wet times, or deep magenta during colder months or dry times. Yellow flowers with red centers will bloom from April to July.  This one was photographed<br />
 in Big Bend National Park in Western Texas.
    Purplish Prickly Pear
  • This fantastically beautiful and very long-spined cactus found in the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas and Arizona in the United States, and in the Mexican states of Coahuila, Chihuahua, and Nuevo León. It gets its species name (stramineus - which means made of straw) from the way these thick, brittle spines resemble dried straw. Clumps of 100 or more stems are not uncommon, and when they are in flower, it is one of the most spectacular of all of the Chihuahuan cacti! This one was photographed in Western Texas in Big Bend National Park.
    Strawberry Pitaya
  • This fantastically beautiful and very long-spined cactus found in the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas and Arizona in the United States, and in the Mexican states of Coahuila, Chihuahua, and Nuevo León. It gets its species name (stramineus - which means made of straw) from the way these thick, brittle spines resemble dried straw. Clumps of 100 or more stems are not uncommon, and when they are in flower, it is one of the most spectacular of all of the Chihuahuan cacti! This one was photographed in Western Texas in Big Bend National Park.
    Strawberry Pitaya
  • This fantastically beautiful and very long-spined cactus found in the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas and Arizona in the United States, and in the Mexican states of Coahuila, Chihuahua, and Nuevo León. It gets its species name (stramineus - which means made of straw) from the way these thick, brittle spines resemble dried straw. Clumps of 100 or more stems are not uncommon, and when they are in flower, it is one of the most spectacular of all of the Chihuahuan cacti! This one was photographed in Western Texas in Big Bend National Park.
    Strawberry Pitaya
  • Pad and flower view of the brilliantly colored beavertail cactus blooming in the Sonoran Desert just outside of Palo Verde in Southern California.
    Beavertail Cactus
  • Pad and flower view of the brilliantly colored beavertail cactus blooming in the Sonoran Desert just outside of Palo Verde in Southern California.
    Beavertail Cactus
  • Iconic symbol of the Sonoran Desert and the American Southwest - and the state flower of Arizona, this saguaro cactus is in full bloom in Southern Arizona near the Mexican border below the Puerto Blanco Mountains.
    Saguaro Cactus in Bloom
  • Despite it not actually being a crab, the completely harmless Atlantic horseshoe crab is an ancient marine arthropod more closely related to spiders and scorpions. Extremely common in Florida, this big female was in the shallows on the northern Gulf of Mexico on Bald Point, just outside of Ochlockonee Bay.
    Atlantic Horseshoe Crab
  • Unusual variety of the grizzlybear prickly pear cactus (Opuntia columbiana) near Naches, WA showing unusual flower size and particularly long white spines.
    Grizzlybear Prickly Pear
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