Dasyacanthus and the Rattlesnake

Texas Rainbow Cactus (Echinocereus Dasyacanthus) purchased in Alpine,TX at the One Way Nursery (now apparently out of business).

I believe the common name "Rainbow" is derived by the multicolor rings on the stem of the cactus.  The colors may have something to do with the variable growing conditions from year to year.  This particular cactus does not have much color variation but I have seen many that do (see pictures in more recent postings).



A not so friendly visitor to my back yard oasis.  I found this Western Diamondback Rattlesnake engaged in a pitched battle with our resident Rock Squirrels.  Rock Squirrels are the natural nemesis of the Rattlesnake apparently sort of like a Texas version of the mongoose.  Who knew these pesky plant destroyers had a good side.  (Rock Squirrels are fond of tasting each new plant in my garden, often by digging them up and taking a bite out of the roots).



Here is an early attempt at a dish garden. 



The garden did well for a while but then was over run with Red Spider Mites and possibly something that ate at the roots of the cactus.  I noticed that nothing seemed to be growing and then one day several of the Coryphantha became cactus shells almost over night.  Once a cactus begins to decline and loses its ability to retain water often it can become a shell almost overnight.  In Big Bend we saw several large cacti that evaporated leaving only the interlocked spines holding its original shape creating an "invisible cactus" effect.