For this "Floral Friday," we have a plant family that more often makes people think of spines and prickles than flowers: cacti.
Did you know that after spring rains, the deserts and scrublands of the southwest are full of blooming cactus flowers? The beautiful, colorful flowers of the different cacti species are an important food source for pollinators, like bees, moths, and bats. In addition, the flowers turn into fruit later in the season, and cactus fruits, especially those of the prickly pear, have long been an important food source for the indigenous peoples of the southwest. Young prickly pear pads, known as nopales in Spanish, are also edible, and the spines from the plant can be made into fishhooks and small arrow points.
The best time to see cactus flowers at Aztec Ruins is in May and June, where they light up the native plant trail and can also be seen along the archaeological walk. Regardless, they are an important part of the ecosystem, all year round.
Photo Descriptions: A hedgehog cactus in bloom, topped by a pink flower (1), a plains prickly pear flower, with a honeybee in the center (2), brownspine prickly pears with purple fruits (3). Photos by Nicoletta Browne (NPS)
Original source can be found here.
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