Tulip Prickly Pear in full spring bloom, its large tulip-shaped flowers opening in shades of yellow to apricot. Photo: NPS / Hannah Schwalbe (Public Domain)
Texas Barrel Cactus in its native gravel-flat habitat, its long hooked spines splayed outward like a sunburst. Photo: Amante Darmanin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY
Spanish Dagger scattered across coastal prairie at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Cameron County, Texas. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) Yucca treculeana, commonly known
Purple Prickly Pear in bloom near Cookes Range, Luna County, New Mexico. Photo: aspidoscelis / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) Opuntia macrocentra, commonly known as Purple Prickly
Glory of Texas growing low among limestone gravel, its natural camouflage against the desert floor. Photo: Amante Darmanin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) Thelocactus
A mature tree cholla, its candelabra of spiny cylindrical joints topped with ripening fruit. Photo: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
A pair of Texas rainbow cacti in bloom near El Paso, their globe-shaped stems topped with large, multicolored flowers. Photo: Megalibrarygirl, via Wikimedia Commons (CC
A mature clump of lace hedgehog cactus in full spring bloom, its magenta flowers opening in unison. Photo: National Park Service, via Wikimedia Commons (Public
A horse crippler grows flush with the ground, its ribs crowned here with ripening red fruit. Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, via
A mature tasajillo loaded with bright red fruit, the display that earns it the name “Christmas cactus.” Photo: Patrick Alexander, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0) Cylindropuntia
View More