By the term “Outback,” I mean neither the vast wilderness in Australia nor the not-so-well-known Arizona Outback, but the part of our little plot here in town up on the hill behind the house. Our outback is mostly still virgin desert with flora and fauna indigenous to the wild areas of this region.
I took a hike up there this morning to see if some of the flowering cacti were sporting spring buds – sure enough, this hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus) near the north property line has quite a few flower buds getting ready to open.
We seem to have several varieties of hedgehog cactus around the property. Two of the hedgehog depicted are in the outback and several that were either natural or transplanted to the lower part of the lot among the landscaping rocks. Most have pink flowers but some have flowers that are darker pink or purple. The Damsel will be sure and photograph the ones on the lower property and I plan to venture into the outback to capture photos of the ones up there. Click on the image to enlarge.
Ahh, the cactus flowers! Always among the most beautiful of flowers.
I love them. I love spring!