I posted about this very cactus last March when we spotted the first flowers from an opuntia basilaris (beavertail cactus). Today, while walking the dogs up the road, we saw a single flower that had opened. The cactus is about thirty yards up the hill behind the fence along the roadway. Click on the image to enlarge.
Most of the neighbor’s yard is undeveloped desert property except for a small patch at the top of the hill from where this cactus lives. It’s about a two-acre spread with a medium-sized house and garage with a couple of storage sheds. The rest of the property is just plain Sonoran desert with natural vegetation, including the spot where this wild cactus can be found.
Our beavertails and hedgehogs (Echinocereus) are all showing flower buds that will potentially open in the days to come. One hedgehog cactus (a transplant from up on our hill) has buds two inches long and should open this week. I will post more pictures when that happens.
Update: Same beavertail with More Cactus Flowers.
