Two stages

Going backwards in the development of a prickly pear cactus, we know that a flower must have preceded the fruit. Prickly pear cacti do all their flowering in central Texas in the spring, so there are no cactus blossoms now. But here’s a photograph from April of this year showing two stages of prickly pear flowers, one in focus in the foreground, the other out of focus behind it. Click the image to see more detail.

For more information about this species, Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri, you can visit the websites of The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the United States Department of Agriculture.

© 2011 Steven Schwartzman