Cactus greens, purples, yellows...
Of course there are lots of cacti growing in the Chihuanhuan Desert of Big Bend NP. I was surprised at the colors of the plant and at the number of different species, more than in any other park. On top of that, the various species of prickly pear cacti hybridize with each other, so you sometimes can't tell at which species you are looking. So, in general, I have identified the following photos with my best guesses.
Cactus grow every where, where it can get a foothold. It needs some soil and some moisture, and it doesn't have to be very much.
Of course there are lots of cacti growing in the Chihuanhuan Desert of Big Bend NP. I was surprised at the colors of the plant and at the number of different species, more than in any other park. On top of that, the various species of prickly pear cacti hybridize with each other, so you sometimes can't tell at which species you are looking. So, in general, I have identified the following photos with my best guesses.
Cactus grow every where, where it can get a foothold. It needs some soil and some moisture, and it doesn't have to be very much.
Chisos Mountains from Dugout Wellswith Engelmann's Prickly Pear in front
Blind Prickly Pear
Blind Prickly Pear
Blind Prickly Pear
Pitaya or Hedgehog cactus
Pitaya or Hedgehog cactus
Spiny-fruited Prickly Pear 75 feet up
Spiny-fruited Prickly Pear found only in Big Bend NP
Spiny-fruited Prickly Pear in the setting sun
Purple-tinged Prickly Pear
Purple-tinged Prickly Pear, spines are up to 4 inches long.I measured it!
Engelmann's Prickly Pear
Engelmann's Prickly Pear
Pineapple species
Prickly Pear with yellow spines in Chisos BasinNone of these photos show the cactus in bloom. When we arrived in Big Bend NP, it was too early but near the end of our 2 week stay, some cacti were blooming. See next blog.
The references and gear I used for this blog are:
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM
Camera: Canon EOS 10D
Lens: Canon EF28-105mm F/3.5-4.5 II USM
Steiner 10x42 Predator Binoculars
Peterson Field Guides: Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Native Plants of South Texas
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