Blooming Cacti: Part I~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, EXTERIOR & INTERIOR DESIGN, Flowers, GARDENING AT THE HOLLER, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES

DSC01201
Cacti are blooming all over Hollerdom.
DSC01206
Prickly plants yielding fragile flowers.

DSC01146
Like gilded lilies,

DSC02112

in rainbow hues,

DSC02029
seeking sun,
DSC02071

through lethal thorns.
DSC01194
An Easter parade,

DSC02026
in a desert scape,

DSC01150
beauty triumphs in the harshest places.

DSC02041
Cheers & Happy Easter to you~

271 thoughts on “Blooming Cacti: Part I~”

  9. I’m lovin’ this Easter Parade Cindy! What a treat! I also can’t help but notice, as I view the colors and structural formations about how much these plants remind me of flora and fauna in the wettest places on earth – under the sea. Some of these remind me of sea anemones.

    By the way, have you visited Lotusland in Montecito, CA here: http://www.lotusland.org/explore-garden/gardens/ ? This place was my first introduction to all manner of gigantic, exotic cacti! 🙂

    ~Lynn

    Reply

    1. Oh my God! It is truly amazing how alike our brains think! I was trying to edit some of the paler flowers like the yellows and peaches and I told Jim, “these flowers are harder to photograph than anenomes and they look so similar.”
      It is eerie. We have brain synergy. Lotusland looks incredible and I love Montecito, so I just have to go back! 😉

      Reply

  10. Ah, me Cactus Rose, Y’ve out done yerself wi’ these pics. I especially was interested in the “rainbow” one, Cuz. Is that natural? ….and the last pic looks like a “bridge cactus. Happy Easter ! 🙂

    Reply

    1. It’s a reflection of a stained glass piece in the garden. This was at San Diego Botanical Garden. I was kinda entranced by it. Looks like I went after the cactus with colored chalk which would hurt! Ouch! Happy Easter cuz~

      Reply

  12. Seeing these creatures up close and personal, my mind wanders….to the pre-historic….or maybe to outer space… or to someone who’s gotten a gorgeous new hat or outfit, but doesn’t know how to carry it off…..

    Reply

    1. Laughing…..Yes indeed, just more than a little odd and off kilter aren’t they! Plus they remind me of people, prickly and defended, but capable of amazing tenderness and beauty.

      Reply

  14. The cactus in the fourth from the bottom picture (“an Easter parade”) looks like the genus Opuntia which produce sweet edible fruits ranging in color when ripe from green, yellow, orange, red, purple, to even brown. In the picture, the fruits are the oval shaped growths beneath the reddish flowers. Each are encased in a thick prickly (i.e. barbed) skin which is easy to remove with a knife and a set of work gloves. The fruits have a similar taste and texture as watermelon. They grow wild and are quite common throughout Mexico and the western U.S., and have been introduced to many regions outside their native habitat. Each region and locale seems to have a unique name for these fruits. My family, of Sicilian ancestry, called them “ficcudini.”

    Reply

    1. Yes, we call them Prickly Pear cactus and they are sold de-prickled at our local grocery store which is Hispanic owned. It is used alot in Mexican cooking and grows all over The Holler. I have eaten it in Mexican restaurants, but have never cooked it. I should try it. How interesting that it is eaten in Sicily too. It is a very small world!

      Reply

  19. Wow!!! Simply stunning!! With such raging colors.. indisputable proof that sometimes the most beautiful things come with “a few” thorns…😉😳🙀🙄😸👍🏽

    Reply

    1. There is something so unique about cactus flowers. I suppose it relates to growing in such a hostile environment, and being so delicate and fragile, amidst such formidable thorns.

      Reply

      1. I hope, too, Cindy 🙂
        But I have to wait till May 1st to find out. Because I celebrate Easter on that day.
        Thanks for your beautiful greetings in advance
        <3

        Reply

  31. Easter gives hope for tomorrow,
    As after the winter comes Spring.
    Our hearts can be filled with gladness
    As hearts rejoice and sing.
    Happy Easter

    Reply

  33. The cactus is wicked beauty! Would not want to land on one! tee hee! I love the flowers on them! Happy Easter at the Holler Cindy! Hugz Lisa and Bear

    Reply

  48. Hi Cindy,

    Living in The Holler’ is like living in a biological laboratory. Something new and beautiful every day. As I have said before, envy is one of the “Thou Shalt Nots”, but I think He may overlook just this one little bout of envy. Great pictures. Thanks again for an armchair visit to The Holler.

    Reply

    1. Ahhhh, but remember cacti have thorns and The Holler has drought. I have no problem with envy, except that it is usally not valid. You after all have all of Upstate for a playground and all those lakes and streams! Happiest Easter Wally to you and your family. <3

      Reply

  49. Gorgeous desert blooms. I have never seen the rainbow cacti before! We were in Phoenix last year at this time and we were stunned at the variety of the desert flowers and their beauty. What a brilliant show of color!

    Reply

  53. You captured the beauty of this special blooms, Cindy. The colors are so rich and gorgeous!
    I haven’t seen any yet here in Texas.

    Reply

      1. I just came back from a short driving for the wildflower sites, people were taking photos everywhere. And, I was thinking how visionary Mrs. Johnson was.

        Reply

          1. You’d see me in tears. and I do so often, also thinking her audacity for advocating Civil Rights…
            This year bluebonnets came out in the early March, a few weeks early, then cold front came a week ago, it did some damage.

            Reply

      2. You know something, I almost feel like she is here with both of us now in this conversation. Being driven to tears by a woman wise enough to cull wildflowers all over the state of Texas means to me you know a measure of goodness. And yes, her ethical and humanitarian self was mind boggling and she ran so under the radar, There is a reason why we like each other Amy and I suppose this sort of mysterious connection is it. Happy Easter my friend.

        Reply

  60. Wow, gorgeous cacti blooms! I hear that Death Valley is experiencing a once in a decade bloom – are you going? Looks like you have enough of a show at your door!

    Reply

    1. A super bloom, yes! I wish I was. I find Death Valley fascinating at anytime, but the super bloom would be phenomonal. I think either Curt or Timothy are going though so we will be able to see their photos.

      Reply

  67. Cindy, it wasn’t until I moved to Southern California that I discovered the flowering of cacti plants. Such beauty is a delight to behold!

    Your photos cause me to wonder: Those thorny individuals in our lives must have much inner beauty that we fail to see and appreciate.

    A Happy Easter to you and your loved ones <3

    Reply

    1. Yes, cacti are emblematic for me of people. The presence of discouraging thorns often hides inner beauty just waiting to be recognized. We all have thorns after all, and the vast majority of us have inner beauty too. Sometimes it even balances out! 😉

      Reply

      2. Oh my God! It looks so much the same. How incredible is this? No matter where we live on this planet, our similarities are so much greater than our differences. I could never have imagined this growing in the Peruvian highlands. Thank you so much for showing me!

        Reply

  70. These are gorgeous, Cindy! I’ve never seen the desert in full bloom — thank you for showing me a bit of it. Who knew there were so many lovely Easter dresses on thorny plants?!? Happy Easter!

    Reply

  73. I liked the juxtaposition of cacti with pretty flowers to Christ’s death and gift He gave us of forgiveness. Hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend, Cindy. <3
    Spending time with Mom for Easter, oldest daughter here Good Friday all thru Sat. We played Yahtzee and Rummy with my 2 brothers while Mom held her dog on her lap.
    Youngest daughter arrived on Easter Sunday and we sat in the sun at Mom's senior living apt. Mom loves watching ducks and geese along the man made lakes here. 🙂

    Reply

    1. Yes, even the thorns were emblematic to me. It sounds like a wonderful Easter Robin and important time for you and your mom and family. I love the image of your mom in the sun with her family and dog in lap, watching the ducks. <3 <3

      Reply

    1. Ahhh, for you to say this is such an honor. Because it would take you to see “the essence of cacti.” I am so lucky to know people like you and this is God’s honest truth.

      Reply

    1. Yes, Death Valley is having a super-bloom which I would seriously love to see! SoCal got less precipitation, but it got a bit and it is bringing out the blooms!

      Reply

    1. They are unusual aren’t they! My grandfather came from Eastern Europe and was so enraptured by cactus flowers that he planted an amazing garden full of them that won a bunch of awards. I guess a bit of his passion rubbed off on me. 😉

      Reply

    1. I had to google that to see what it was. It does look thecacti dusted in pastel chalk doesn’t it, just the people at the festival, but they are really just reflecting some pieces of cut glass,

      Reply

  112. Cindy, the incredible contrast that you have created here is something ~ the first photo does not seem possible, which makes it all the more beautiful.

    Reply

    1. These are my favorite cactus flowers because of the vibrant, as you said almost unbelieveable reds, oranges and yellows. They grow wild all over the mojave desert. So pleased you see them as I do Randall & cheers to you~

      Reply

  115. These pictures reminded me so much of when we lived in Tucson! …fond memories!!! Thank you for sharing them! I am only sad I am late in seeing them. We did have a Prickly Pear bloom a few weeks ago a beautiful yellow flower. We have been tending to it ever since it was very small.

    Reply

Leave a Reply