Treasures from SouthTexas

Astrophytum ornatum var. virens - Maybe the most reliable and prolific bloomer in my cactus garden.  I would say somewhere between 15 to 20 blooms a year.

Astrophytum ornatum var. virens



Lower Rio Grande Valley Barrel Cactus, Ferocactus hamatacanthus var. sinuatus, It shrinks a bit in winter time and changes color from a blue green to rusty red.



Lower Rio Grande Valley Barrel Cactus, Ferocactus hamatacanthus var. sinuatus,



Fitch’s Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus fitchii).  On a trip to McAllen, Texas I befriended an interesting lady named Juanita who worked as a grounds keeper.  We talked about the local cactus and the art work she made by mounting them and growing them on driftwood or in some cases cedar stumps.  She gave me this plant from her ranch out of a paint bucket in the back of her pickup truck. 

Almost a Rainbow

Scientist say cactus flowers can be almost any color except blue.  I have always wondered if purple is the combination of red and blue, and if flower color shades are based on percentage combination of the primary colors, then why can't a purple cactus flower be slight less red and therefore appear blue...?