Hello autodikaktos,
thank you for your nice comment. I try to tell a story, whenever I post a large number of digital images, about the whole field trip. This may help the viewer/reader to have an easier transition mentally into the subject matter presented.
Well, I cannot answer your question about how often the Apache Plume (Fallugia paradoxa) does flower and produce seed. I had assumed, that this happens just once a year, but may be wrong. I am happy to know, that you love the ocotillo plant. Because it is wispy and thorny, a lot of people do not like it. However, it is being used by some folks, whenever they decide to have a "desert garden".
When our local cactus club went on a plant rescue mission, because desert land was being converted to a building site for a planned school, we did have a contractor help us, moving those heavy Ferocactus wislizenii (our native barrel cactus). He brought his caterpillar machine along, which did the lifting job. All he asked for was to be allowed to take all the ocotillos for his landscaping business. The good man plopped them out of the ground and tied their wispy twigs for easy hauling. I know, that this kind of operation would not be allowed in Arizona, because that state protects its plant life quite a bit better than does Texas. When we go out into the desert, because of some pending construction, we can keep all the plants that we dig up.
If us old folks were not there, the flora would all be crushed by the heavy machinery.
Harald
Now back to the main topic. I am continuing with the cacti, which we did encounter during the short field trip. One of the plants, that those in front of our little group spotted - and I did not find, when I arrived at the location, being a straggler - was an Echinocereus fendleri. So there is no picture for me to post. There was, however, one other plant, which we only discovered as a single individual. That one is the Escobaria vivipara (next image).
- E_vivipara.JPG (137.7 KiB) Viewed 5727 times
Another, not so common cactus - seen only twice - was the Cat Claw cactus Glandulicactus uncinatus (syn. Ancistrocactus uncinatus)
- Ancistroc_uncinatus1.JPG (129.59 KiB) Viewed 5727 times
- Ancistroc_uncinatus2.JPG (161.52 KiB) Viewed 5727 times
Also, there were a few of our largest (by weight and height) cactus, the barrel cactus Ferocactus wislizenii, in the area we visited. I only got to see good-sized specimens and photographed two of them.
- F_wislizenii1.JPG (173.03 KiB) Viewed 5727 times
- F_wislizenii2.JPG (191.11 KiB) Viewed 5727 times
One plant, that usually only responds to rain, if it is going to flower - and we did not expect any of them to be in bloom - is the Eagle Claw cactus Echinocactus horizonthalonius. The blossom is beautiful, but lasts generally only one day. However, the plant does flower repeatedly, if the conditions, i.e. rains, allow it. So I went a bit overboard and took numerous images of that pretty cactus, with its grey-green glaucous body.
- E_horizonthalonius1.JPG (155.23 KiB) Viewed 5727 times
- E_horizonthalonius2.JPG (161.48 KiB) Viewed 5727 times
- E_horizonthalonius3.JPG (154.55 KiB) Viewed 5727 times
- E_horizonthalonius4.JPG (125.51 KiB) Viewed 5727 times
- E_horizonthalonius5.JPG (150.15 KiB) Viewed 5727 times
- E_horizonthalonius6.JPG (150.74 KiB) Viewed 5727 times
- E_horizonthalonius7.JPG (167.33 KiB) Viewed 5727 times
- E_horizonthalonius8.JPG (111.31 KiB) Viewed 5727 times
- E_horizonthalonius9.JPG (150.78 KiB) Viewed 5727 times
- E_horizonthalonius10.JPG (141.46 KiB) Viewed 5727 times
- E_horizonthalonius11.JPG (122.91 KiB) Viewed 5727 times
](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall"){kind=small}