Every year at Fathers' Day, the Prickly Pear Cactus burst into bloom, filling our yard with brilliant yellow flowers: http://dan-matyola.squarespace.com/danmatyolas-pesos/2022/6/20/cactus K-5 IIs, smc DA 18-135hour mm F 3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR Comments, criticisms, questions, and suggestions are invited and appreciated. Dan Matyola *https://tinyurl.com/DJM-Pentax-Gallery <https://tinyurl.com/DJM-Pentax-Gallery>*

Wow, that's spectacular. Is the fruit big enough to eat? Alan C On 20-Jun-22 06:09 AM, Daniel J. Matyola wrote: > Every year at Fathers' Day, the Prickly Pear Cactus burst into bloom, > filling our yard with brilliant yellow flowers: > > http://dan-matyola.squarespace.com/danmatyolas-pesos/2022/6/20/cactus > > K-5 IIs, smc DA 18-135hour mm F 3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR > Comments, criticisms, questions, and suggestions are invited and > appreciated. > > Dan Matyola >

Those are happy plants! are those Engelmann's? /Opuntia phaecantha ? /Nice job of showing how lovely they are - The second one works nicely for a garden sales catalog, though not as interesting as a photo for framing or a note card - the last of the three closeups is my vote for the nicest geometry . ann On 6/20/2022 12:09 AM, Daniel J. Matyola wrote: > Every year at Fathers' Day, the Prickly Pear Cactus burst into bloom, > filling our yard with brilliant yellow flowers: > > http://dan-matyola.squarespace.com/danmatyolas-pesos/2022/6/20/cactus > > K-5 IIs, smc DA 18-135hour mm F 3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR > Comments, criticisms, questions, and suggestions are invited and > appreciated. > > Dan Matyola > *https://tinyurl.com/DJM-Pentax-Gallery > <https://tinyurl.com/DJM-Pentax-Gallery>* > -- > %(real_name)s Pentax-Discuss Mail List > To unsubscribe send an email to pdml-leave@pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- ann sanfedele photography https://annsan.smugmug.com https://www.cafepress.com/+ann-sanfedele+gifts https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/annsan https://www.createphotocalendars.com/Shop/annsanfedelecalendarsandbooks

Thanks, Alan. Yes, the fruit is edible, as are the pads, or nopales. I find eating it gives me diarrhea, so I leave the fruits for the birds, which seem to enjoy them. In survival school, back in the 1960s, we ate the pads as a source of energy, along with wild onion and dandelions. I cut back the pads severely after each flowering season; otherwise, they soon would cover the entire yard. Dan Matyola *https://tinyurl.com/DJM-Pentax-Gallery <https://tinyurl.com/DJM-Pentax-Gallery>* On Mon, Jun 20, 2022 at 1:37 AM Alan C <cole@lantic.net> wrote: > Wow, that's spectacular. Is the fruit big enough to eat? > > Alan C > > On 20-Jun-22 06:09 AM, Daniel J. Matyola wrote: > > Every year at Fathers' Day, the Prickly Pear Cactus burst into bloom, > > filling our yard with brilliant yellow flowers: > > > > http://dan-matyola.squarespace.com/danmatyolas-pesos/2022/6/20/cactus > > > > K-5 IIs, smc DA 18-135hour mm F 3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR > > Comments, criticisms, questions, and suggestions are invited and > > appreciated. > > > > Dan Matyola > > > -- > %(real_name)s Pentax-Discuss Mail List > To unsubscribe send an email to pdml-leave@pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > follow the directions. >

Thanks, Ann. I agree the last close-up is the best image. These are Eastern Prickly Pears, *Opuntia humifusa*. This species is native to dry regions of the Northeast. On our first trip to Hawaii, more than 40 years ago, I was astonished to see prickly pears growing wild all over uncultivated dry areas of all the islands. That was contrary to my preconception of Hawaii as a wet, lush, tropical locale. I now know that there are a dozen or more distinct climatic habitats on the islands depending on altitude and location relative to the prevailing trade winds. Dan Matyola *https://tinyurl.com/DJM-Pentax-Gallery <https://tinyurl.com/DJM-Pentax-Gallery>* On Mon, Jun 20, 2022 at 7:41 AM ann sanfedele <annsan@nyc.rr.com> wrote: > Those are happy plants! are those Engelmann's? /Opuntia phaecantha ? > /Nice job of showing how lovely they are - The second one works nicely > for a garden sales catalog, though not as interesting as a photo for > framing or a note card - the last of the three closeups is my vote for > the nicest geometry . > > ann > > On 6/20/2022 12:09 AM, Daniel J. Matyola wrote: > > Every year at Fathers' Day, the Prickly Pear Cactus burst into bloom, > > filling our yard with brilliant yellow flowers: > > > > http://dan-matyola.squarespace.com/danmatyolas-pesos/2022/6/20/cactus > > > > K-5 IIs, smc DA 18-135hour mm F 3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR > > Comments, criticisms, questions, and suggestions are invited and > > appreciated. > > > > Dan Matyola > > *https://tinyurl.com/DJM-Pentax-Gallery > > <https://tinyurl.com/DJM-Pentax-Gallery>* > > -- > > %(real_name)s Pentax-Discuss Mail List > > To unsubscribe send an email to pdml-leave@pdml.net > > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > follow the directions. > > -- > ann sanfedele photography > https://annsan.smugmug.com > https://www.cafepress.com/+ann-sanfedele+gifts > https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/annsan > https://www.createphotocalendars.com/Shop/annsanfedelecalendarsandbooks > -- > %(real_name)s Pentax-Discuss Mail List > To unsubscribe send an email to pdml-leave@pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > follow the directions. >

Opuntia spp,notably the big one, were imported into SA in the 19th C. & became very invasive (due to birds, I suppose). There are signs of them all over the Kruger Park! Alan C On 20-Jun-22 05:33 PM, Daniel J. Matyola wrote: > Thanks, Ann. I agree the last close-up is the best image. > > These are Eastern Prickly Pears, *Opuntia humifusa*. This species is > native to dry regions of the Northeast. > > On our first trip to Hawaii, more than 40 years ago, I was astonished to > see prickly pears growing wild all over uncultivated dry areas of all the > islands. That was contrary to my preconception of Hawaii as a wet, lush, > tropical locale. I now know that there are a dozen or more distinct > climatic habitats on the islands depending on altitude and > location relative to the prevailing trade winds. > > Dan Matyola > > > On Mon, Jun 20, 2022 at 7:41 AM ann sanfedele <annsan@nyc.rr.com> wrote: > >> Those are happy plants! are those Engelmann's? /Opuntia phaecantha ? >> /Nice job of showing how lovely they are - The second one works nicely >> for a garden sales catalog, though not as interesting as a photo for >> framing or a note card - the last of the three closeups is my vote for >> the nicest geometry . >> >> ann >> >> On 6/20/2022 12:09 AM, Daniel J. Matyola wrote: >>> Every year at Fathers' Day, the Prickly Pear Cactus burst into bloom, >>> filling our yard with brilliant yellow flowers: >>> >>> http://dan-matyola.squarespace.com/danmatyolas-pesos/2022/6/20/cactus >>> >>> K-5 IIs, smc DA 18-135hour mm F 3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR >>> Comments, criticisms, questions, and suggestions are invited and >>> appreciated. >>> >>> Dan Matyola >>> >> >> -- >>