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Quail Lane Studios

Gallery 4-2 - 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 1 or 3 in this gallery, or use the tags at the top to view other galleries on our site and place your order. 

 

Garden Dragon 

Garden Dragon©.  This could be a bug’s eye-view of a gigantic prehistoric creature looming suddenly from behind the foliage.  But this little lizard is really only a few inches long and is the friendly sort, living among the cactus flowers for protection.  And not coincidentally, the garden dragon is no doubt enjoying the snacks that flutter toward him. 

 

Hedgehogs

Hedgehogs

Hedgehogs© are the sure harbinger of the spring season.  The first cactus to flower, they grow in lovely thick clusters never more than a foot high.  But be careful--despite their beauty, they can add a surprisingly sharp ouch! to the feet of unwary hikers.

 

Impossible

Impossible

Impossible©.  Don’t stumble!  Walk carefully along the rocks on this hillside.  Somehow…impossible…wedged there along the way is a lovely, delicate cactus.  Be careful now, tiny needles are still sharp.

 

Ocotillo Inspectors

Ocotillo Inspectors  

 Ocotillo Inspectors©.  The entire field has almost nothing dressing it up other than these strange thorny sticks and a few clusters of cholla.  But from time to time in the summer, the monsoon rains bring sufficient moisture for those sticks to bloom and even green up a bit.  Now the javelinas  are out hunting for succulent roots and checking to be sure that everything is flowering beautifully.  It is.

On Gossamer Wings

  On Gossamer Wings©.  Here a little iridescent blue-green humming bird, native to Arizona, is intent on catching some sweet nectar from a Baja fairy duster.  This image is rare, and clearly shows the structure of the wings.  Usually these critters are caught only with the mind’s eye as a blur flitting between flowers. 

 

Open Tonight Only

Open Tonight Only

Open Tonight©.  The enormous but delicate amber-white flowers are those of a true night bloomer, often called the “Queen of the Night.”  Seemingly communicating with one another, most of the Queens bloom on a single night in any location, and you need to catch them shortly after sunset.  And then, just because they are special, they will disappear when the sun comes back up.

 

Perfect

Perfect

Perfect©.  Trichocereus look at first like tiny versions of saguaros.  They typically grow only two to three feet high and sometimes have multiple trunks and branches.  But unlike their bigger brothers, the trichocereus can flower anywhere near their crown—and their flowers open wider than their entire trunk.  Best of all, they can be covered in several brilliant colors.  Perfect is like that:  it is surrounded by blooms open as wide as your hand.  Take a moment to enjoy the soft fragrance.

 

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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.