Flowering Opuntia polyacantha

Last year I didn’t experience a single of the many flowers set by my Opuntia polyacantha. Fortunately a visit to my summerhouse (where my winter hardy cacti beds are located) coincided with the flowering of the Opuntia polyacantha this summer.


Opuntia polyacantha flower, close-up

The plant is growing in the middle of my oldest cactus bed and soon needs pruning – otherwise it will spread into the neighboring Opuntia 'Smithwick' and Opuntia humifusa plants (seen respectively in the front and background of the below picture). The wild poppies also have to go; I found them charming when small but now they are taking up too much space.


Opuntia polyacantha in cactus bed

Like Opuntia humifusa flowers the flowers of Opuntia polyacantha are popular with bumble bees.


Bumble bee indulging in the pleasures of pollen and nectar

Even the slightly spent flowers from the day before are fancied by the bees.


Bumble bee leaving a flower


You can find details on other Opuntia plants that flowered in the summer of 2007 in these posts: Opuntia fragilis (Butte Co, Nebraska), Opuntia 'Claude Arno', Opuntia tortispina (Albuquerque, New Mexico).