Wild One

It’s a good year for cactus flowers. You pretty much don’t see them unless you’re on foot in the sagebrush or messing around in someone’s vacant lot, blooming cholla being an extravagant exception, wherever it may be. The most prevalent cactus appears to be a ground-hugging miniature prickly pear-looking thing with plentiful spines. [Above] These right here, about five inches tall, are just across the road. There are definitely others, often found nearby, with brilliant red flowers. And sometimes, if you know where to look, a tiny cactus the size of a quarter puts out amazing multi-colored blossoms a quarter inch across that only last a day or two. I carry my iPhone now. The next one won’t get away.