Cactus Flowers

May in the desert guarantees the end of wildflower season.  However, it's also when the towering saguaro starts to bloom, the culmination of a mid-spring explosion of cactus flowers.

Saguaro cactus blooms.

The tall saguaro with buds and blooms.  Its flowers only form at the ends of its arms, so they're very often high in the sky, far away from the casual observer.  I was lucky to be on a cliff-side trail looking down for this shot.

A female gila woodpecker has no problem feeding on insects or nectar in the saguaro bloom.

Cardon blooms, a cactus similar to the saguaro, but native to the Baja California peninsula and the Mexican state of Sonora.  Its flowers form in a row, descending along its tall ribs.

Buckhorn cholla blooms.

The flower of the hedgehog cactus.  It seems to signal the start of the blooming season.

Teddy bear cholla bloom.  From personal experience, this cactus' needles are especially pernicious.  It's nice to see such delicacy and beauty surviving such a dangerous habitat.

The flower of the fishhook barrel cactus.

Bouquets of blooms on an unidentified cactus.

One of the prettiest cactus flowers, that of the Argentine giant.  Not usually found in the American Southwest landscape, it's often planted in home gardens.

The yellow flower of the purple prickly pear cactus.

Another variety of prickly pear cactus and its flowers, maybe the most common in the area.  Like the saguaro, its blooms will soon turn into lush fruits.  They are edible and have provided sustenance for many native peoples through the centuries.  Stay tuned for a future post on desert foods!