Incident Report: Date: March 2, 2020 Location: Our property on an Arizona Street (a cul-de-sac) Nature of Incident: Hit and Run Details: Truck pulling a trailer misjudged their turning radius. Golden Barrel Cactus was unable to get out of the way. Medical Analysis: Bifurcation of cactus with distal crushing on road side Patient Prognosis: Certain … Continue reading Run Over by a Truck – Goodbye Cactus
Prickly Pear Cacti are members of the Opuntia genus. There are over 90 species of Opuntia in the United States. They are flat-stemmed spiny cacti with edible fruit. Click on any photo to open Photo Gallery. There is a large patch of Prickly Pears in the lot next to ours. Then one day, there was … Continue reading Prickly Pear
Arizona in April - this is what is happening in my back yard: I think this is a Claret Cup Cactus. If it isn't, it should be because it seems like an appropriate name for it... Wicked thorns though... How I like claret!...It fills one's mouth with a gushing freshness, then goes down to cool … Continue reading Spines, Scales and Rocks
Living in Arizona has taught me a few things about the Danger of Cactus Spines! While it is unlikely they would cause any serious reaction, the punctures can be painful! When I go on a 'Nature' walk, I carry a pair of pliers to pull cactus spines out of the soles of my shoes. When … Continue reading Cactus Spines – A ‘Don’t Touch Me’ World
Plant Profile Common Name: Saguaro Cactus Scientific Name: Carnegiea gigantea Native to: Sonoran desert - limited to southern Arizona Growth: all growth occurs at the tip of the cactus. The rate of growth is very slow. Under natural conditions it may take 20 years to attain one foot in height. By age 50 it could … Continue reading Saguaro Cactus – Slow Growing Giants
There are plants on the Arizona hillsides that look like bunches of spiny crooked dead sticks. They are the Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens). The photo above is of my plants. They are leafless. Small 2 inch leaves will grow from the stems when there is enough moisture. They may lose these leaves, and then sprout new … Continue reading Ocotillo – Prickly but I Wish Mine Would Grow Leaves
Clouds are not as common in Arizona as they are in Alberta. One day, however I saw these 'comma' clouds, with a trio of Saguaro cactus stretching up as if to catch the wisps! These clouds reminded me of punctuation. Don't they look like big apostrophes or commas except they curve the wrong way? I … Continue reading Cactus and Clouds – Curves
We spent part of our winter in Arizona. The landscaping in our yard is more aptly called hardscaping since it is mostly paving stones and rock. There are a number of green plants - most of them of the prickly variety. Here they are, up close in all their spiny glory. Golden Barrel Cactus Fishhook … Continue reading Cactus: Arizona Yard Full of Prickles
I'm spending part of my winter in Arizona cactus country, and the past week has been pretty exciting. All sorts of interesting things are popping out the sides and tops of the cacti in these parts. I have no idea what the flowers will look like, nor how long it will take before they bloom. … Continue reading Cactus Buds and Blooms – Future Tense in Arizona
