Cactus Flowers

Cactus greens, yellows, purples, oranges, reds ...

Near the end of our stay in Big Bend NP, the cacti was starting to bloom. Here are some of my photos.

Blind Prickly Pear buds

Blind Prickly Pear

Blind Prickly Pear flower turn orange with age

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear buds

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear, spines are 4 inches long

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear

Rainbow species

Hedgehog species

Christmas Cholla with red fruit

Cane Cholla with yellow fruit

Engelmann's Prickly Pear

Engelmann's Prickly Pear

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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

Cactus Green

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.

Chisos Mountains from Dugout Wells
with 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 Basin

None 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

The First Green 2

Last blog, I also mentioned two other evergreen plants: sotol and century plants. I found these green plants be fascinating.

Sotol from Sotal Vista

Sotol leaves

The dried flower stalks were used as building materials and,
today, as walking sticks.

Close-up of dried sotol flower

Century Plant is the largest Agave species in Big Bend NP.
It blooms once in 20-50 years with bright yellow flowers in and then dies.

The leaves are not really green but rather a blue-gray color.
The hearts of the plant were baked, dried and stored as winter food
by the Native Americans.

Dried stalks can be over 30 feet tall

Close-up of dried century flower

Dried dead plant

Stay tuned for more evergreen plants.

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

The First Green

When we arrived in mid-March at Big Bend NP, TX, there still were no leaves on the trees and shrubs. Spring was coming, though the nights were cold with temperatures in the 30's.

The first green plants that I found; yucca, lechuguilla, sotol, century plant, cactus, along with the ubiquitous creosote and ocotillo, stay green year round. Still, I found some green!

Chisos Mountains from Dugout Wells with yucca, creosote, cactus, ocotillo.

Mountain side from Lost Mine Trail in Chisos Basin with century plant,
sotol, creosote.

There are several species of yuccas in Big Bend and
all are members of the lily family.
Torrey Yucca is the most common yucca in the park.

Soaptree Yucca
Inside the trunk and roots is a slippery fluid
that was used by early Americans as soap.
This is the tallest yucca and may be 250 years old.

Thompson Yucca

Lechuguilla is an agave species which blooms once and then it dies.
The leaves are long, tough, and very sharp
which can penetrate clothing and even leather.
It is also called Shin-daggers.

Lechuguilla (lay-che-gee'-ya)
The fibers are still used today to make rope in Mexico.

Dried seed pods

After blooming, the plant dies

Stay tunned for more green stuff.

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