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Quail Lane Studios

Gallery 4-1 - Cactus, Flowers and Prickly Things

    Can you hug a cactus?  Many of them seem cute, almost huggable.   And some even have cute names, like "teddy bear cholla", or "queen of the night".   Their blossoms are often magnificent, with a riot of colors and shapes varying from the incredibly ornate to the simply improbable.  We  feature some of them here, together with agaves, aloes, yuccas and other pointed plants.  We recommend that you hug just the art.  Both you and the prickly things will be happier.  Digitography is made for flowers and plants.  Take a look.  Be sure and check our other galleries as well; they overlap a little. 

    For your convenience, we've placed only a few images on each page of this gallery.  When you are ready, go to page 2 or 3 in this Gallery, or use the tags at the top to view other galleries on our site and place your order.

 

April Flowers

April Flowers 2

April Flowers 2©.  You have waited for many weeks.  The hedgehog cacti bloomed nearly two months ago; the prickly pear bloomed a month back.  The tall saguaros are even budding.  But now, at last the enormous Easter Lilly echinopsis have bloomed with their enormous nearly 6 inch diameter flowers.  Catch them quickly—they bloom at night and will be gone by noon.

 

Back in the Woods

Back in the Woods

Back in the Woods©.  It’s early in a spring morning.  Put on your exploring shoes and take a walk through the areas between and behind things.  This is where you will find the amazing and unexpected to fill your senses.  Every cactus flowers wonderfully, but many of the blooms are gone by mid-day.

 

  Best Blooms

Best Blooms 

Best Blooms© are those of a trichocereus cluster.  These wonderful, short columnar cacti, typically bloom in April with enormous colorful and complex flowers.  Each bloom begins at sundown and lasts no longer than the next mid-day.  But by that time they have nourished countless insects, birds and bats.  Not to mention nourishing our eyes.  Here they are for your early morning pleasure.

 

Cactus Crowd

Cactus Crowd

Cactus Crowd©.  It all began with a single Texas barrel cactus.  Then the crowd began to grow with friends of the first guy.  But finally a new kid decided to get in on the fun.  Here a lush prickly pear has added itself to the mix, brightening it up with its bright yellow flowers.  Be careful:  even the new kid has sharp spines.

 

Cactus Garden

   Cactus Garden©.  Somewhere north of Tucson and East of Phoenix a little garden of fire barrel cactus and yucca is growing.  This little garden is sprinkled with wild flowers accenting the rugged beauty of the cactus in every season.  Let your eyes take a walk through this exciting garden.

 

Desert Wreath

Desert Wreath

Desert Wreath©.  Despite the myth, barrel cacti don’t offer water for thirsty wanderers.  Instead, the large rounded beauties patiently wait until most other cacti have finished their blooming.  Then, when the time is ripe they produce a wealth of astonishing flowers seeming to be afire brightly in the sun and wreathing their center. 

 

Five Star

Five Star

Five Star.  Sometimes referred to as “Big Bertha” the echinopsis cactus grows magnificent white flowers that are eight to ten inches across.  Here, five have clustered together from different branches of the same cactus.  But their beauty only lasts for a single day.  Tomorrow, new blossoms will open.

 

Full House

Full House 

Full House.  Trichocereus are unique cacti.  Most will guarantee a few enormous blooms—but they bloom sequentially.  Sometimes a few flowers will open together.  This is the unlikely winning poker hand—a full house with 10 blossoms all in view together.  Savor it now—you may never see a more lovely one. 

 

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   One last comment:  We know these images are tempting; they are also copyrighted.  Downloading for printing or other copying  is expressly forbidden.