There are many kinds of cactus around here besides the famous saguaros – prickly pears, barrel cacti, various kind of cholla. My favorite one is the hedgehog cactus (genus Echinocereus), and I couldn’t resist stopping to snap a couple photos of them while out on the Christmas Bird Count.
They don’t grow more than a foot or two tall, but something about the little round clusters of stems is really aesthetically appealing for some reason. And in the spring they’re even more gorgeous (this is a photo I took a couple years ago)…
Hooray for cacti and their big showy flowers. Just don’t ever try to pick them.
2 replies on “Hedgehog Cactus”
Actually I do like this cactus also, because you can see the spines, not like some species.
It’s so nice to see them as I look out the window at the snow! Thanks!