#293: Cactus Blossoms

An especially pretty year

It all started when the claret cup cactuses burst into bloom. This photo shows part of a mound I found in the Sandia foothills, about four or five feet across.

Claret cup cactus blossoms in the Sandia foothills

They were followed by a few strawberry cactus blossoms. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen them lined up in a row like this before.

Strawberry cactus blossoms in the Sandia foothills

I hiked down the Cebolla Mesa trail to the bottom of the Rio Grande Gorge a couple of weeks ago. About 2/3 of the way back up I spotted this tiny cactus — it was the size of a golf ball and nearly as perfectly round. I was almost too tired by that point to squat down on the ground for the photo, but managed to take a few shots anyway. I’m glad I did (it’s so cute!).

Small-flowered hedgehog cactus blossom in the Rio Grande Gorge

It has several names, most of which include “hedgehog cactus” within them. The claret cup and strawberry cactuses are also hedgehogs.¹

Pink prickly pear blossoms in the Ojito Wilderness

I was delighted to come across brilliant pink prickly pear blossoms in the Ojito Wilderness the other day since I seldom see that color growing wild.²

A yellow prickly pear blossom with an orange-red center in the Sandia foothills

Some of my favorites are the prickly pear blossoms that open in my own virtual backyard, the Sandia foothills. While most bloom yellow, a sizeable minority have orange-red centers, which I think are absolutely stunning.

One of the first cholla blossoms in the Sandia foothills this year

But then again, I totally love cholla blossoms, which are just now starting to open in the foothills.³

1. Claret cup and strawberry cactuses also have numerous names; I’m just using the ones I first learned. Hedgehogs are in the Echinocereus genus.

2. Prickly pears are in the Opuntia genus.

3. And chollas are in the Cylindropuntia genus.