A good year for my cactus flowers

A couple of days ago I spotted that my collection of this type of cactus, which are all in one plant pot, had sprouted three flower shoots.  I had brought them out of the cabin and put them in the full sun for the last week now that the temperatures are warming.  Last night I noticed that one of the shoots had been nibbled and on checking the base of the pot, i found a small slug which was promptly removed. (I don't now kill them as I once did. Now I just throw them far away down the garden).

I then brought the whole pot into the house last night and put them in the window on the dining room table.  When I got up this morning, I saw that two of the flowers had burst open to reveal the incredible inner details inside the glorious petals.  Sadly one of the big stems had been eaten again and can't support the flower properly, so I guess there are more slugs inside the pot hidden by the incredibly sharp spines of the cactus.

I thought I had better photograph it today in case of more damage and besides, the cactus flowers can often only be at the best for a very short time.  I have added another 'Extra photo' of a wider shot showing the other stems and flowers and the base of the cactus in its pot.  The stems are each about six inches long.  I think they may be of the Easter Lily cactus – Echinopsis multiplex, but that is a guess.

This year has been fantastic for all the various cacti plants I have been growing steadily over the years.  It was my granny who got me interested in them as she had a sun room overlooking the sea where she lived and I became amazed when one of her cactus plants flowered for the first time after about fourteen years.