cholla cactus bloom

cholla cactus bloom, originally uploaded by DesertNana aka majamom.

the razor sharp jumping cholla are not friends to the human species who live among them.Another name for Cholla is Jumping Cactus, because of the disconcerting habit of coming unjointed easily. If you touch even one spine it is enough to detach a joint, then when you move more joints become lodged in your skin. To make matters worse, the spines are barbed and therefore difficult to remove. We desert rats carry a comb with us. Remove the spines by sticking the comb under the cactus and flipping it away. The trick is to not flip it back into your skin. The next step is to take a pair of pliers and remove the remaining barbs. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?
Due to our joyously raain filled spring, our cholla cactus is bursting forthe with multiple blooms of the most delicious colors