Spinystar Cactus does not suffer from a lack of names. It is known by several common names, including spinystar, viviparous foxtail cactus, pincushion cactus and ball cactus.
As good
fortune has it, my house rests on the fringe of the spinystar’s range of growth
in our valley. I feel particularly blessed
having this cactus growing on my property when they are in bloom. They and bitterroot present the most vivid of
all flowers. Their blossoms are colored
as if electrified.
Desiree and I
have been monitoring the cactus near our house for days in anticipation of their
showy displays of flowers. Late
yesterday afternoon—as if someone flicked on a switch to energize the spinystars—most
of the specimens on my property blossomed all at once.
The flowers remained
closed for most of the overcast day. At 2:30ish
in the afternoon, on a walk down to the lake, Desiree and I stopped to examine
a ten-inch-wide clump of spinystar just off the road. “Man, look at that! That thing is going to be spectacular when it
opens up.” I fished my
smarter-than-me-phone from my pocket and captured an image just for fun.
Less than two
hours later, on our way back up the hill, the same cactus dazzled us with a bright
showing of flowers. In that short time,
under the first full sun of the day, the cactus bloomed in full.
Desiree and I captured a series of images with our phones.
Spinystar at
2:30 PM
Spinystar at
3:50 PM
Focus on
Flowers
—Mitchell
Hegman
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