Santa Rita Prickly Pear Flower

This cactus flower might look like yesterday’s but... it’s from a completely different species. Notice the more pure yellow, the thinner petals and the purple pads. This is a Santa Rita cactus. It’s named after the mountains I visit and the valley/region below (aka the Santa Rita area). Even though it might be found in other places, it’s only native to this place I sometimes reluctantly call home.

One of the most interesting things about this species of prickly pear is that the more stressed the plant becomes, the darker the color. Stress includes high temperatures and a lack of water. This is probably the deepest purple I’ve seen. By the way, this also happens to be the first flower on the Santa Rita in my own backyard.

I wasn’t feeling quite myself today. Mostly really tired. I’ve felt like this all week. Just past midnight and I am literally sitting on the side of my bed to go to sleep. Silly Saturday tomorrow (or today depending upon your time zone).

Happy weekend.