Prickly Pear

On the trail in search of blooming Prickly Pear Cacti

The Prickly Pear Cactus--whose spines are a dangerous defense mechanism--provides sustenance for desert critters.  Jackrabbits, pack rats and javelinas (Peccaries, aka "wild pigs")  munch the spiky pads without problem.  Bees feast on the nectar from blossoming flowers.  Other insects take advantage of the plant, too.  The Cochineal bug lives on the pads.  The carminic acid the insect produces is used to produce "carmine," a crimson-colored dye found in food coloring and cosmetics.

Delicate flowers of a spiky plant

You wouldn't want to pluck these blossoms

Busting out all over

Gemini

Close buds

Prickly Pear Cacti grow all over Tortugas Mountain

White mounds are the result of Cochineal infestation

Blooming Prickly Pear next to our home

Not a Prickly Pear.  This Cholla (choy-ya) grows in our backyard

Flowers of the Cholla