Not sure exactly what kind of cactus this is, but it’s really taken off over the past year. Last year we had at the most four flowers; this year we’ve already had four and there are at least (to my count) another dozen that will come out. I know this: the bees love them, so that’s got to account for something.

The one thing about these cactus is that you never, ever allow yourself to get close enough to brush up against them. If you do you’re going to get dozens, if not hundreds, of little tiny spikes embedded in your skin. And the only true remedy for removing them is plastic tape.