Luther Burbank's Spineless Cactus

Between 1907 and 1925, Luther Burbank introduced more than 60 varieties of spineless cacti.(Does that count as 'inventing?') These were developed mostly from hybrids of the Indian fig (opuntia ficus-indica) and the Mexican prickly pear (opuntia tuna) a forage variety grown primarily for their edible pads (properly called thalli) which could be fed raw to livestock. 

This plant began life on our hill as one pad planted about a third of the way into the rocky soil about 9 years ago. Burbank lived most of his life in Santa Rosa, and is well remembered for his house and gardens which operates as a sort of living museum.

We had a bit of rain yesterday evening...enough to wash the dust out of the air and produce a cold but sparkling day. The sun has been out all day and the sky  filled with fluffy white clouds. We heard from several people that there was a beautiful rainbow last evening but we missed it.

I've spent a good portion of the day editing my photo collection. I've finally gotten through 2015! And this is only the start...deleting the duplicates and the duds and trying to figure out why some sections seem to appear twice. Then I will have to go back through and attempt to organize them a little better.

I suspect the latter may never happen....