The cooler months of winter are great times to explore the desert.   If you are overdue for a desert hike, next time you head outside be sure to watch for the different species of cacti living in our area.  Did you know that the Chihuahuan Desert is considered the epicenter of cacti diversity with 318 species of 1500 species worldwide?  At this time of year you won’t find any in flower, but at least you will know where to go looking for flowers next spring.

When I worked at Big Bend National Park I spent much of my time studying the desert plants that surrounded my home at Panther Junction.   My favorite was the large mound forming strawberry cactus commonly called pitaya.   In the spring some of the larger strawberry cactus mounds would burst into bloom with dozens of red flowers that would later in the summer turn into red fruits that tasted like strawberries.  Unlike the fruits of the more common prickly-pear cactus covered with tiny spines called glochids, the strawberry cactus had fewer larger spines that were easy to take off.   Every summer I would collect the fruits of the strawberry cactus, put them in the refrigerator and then eat them with whip cream.  Back in those days it was a 200 mile round trip drive to get groceries in Alpine, so the bounty of the desert was very appealing to me on a hot summer day.

I have always loved cacti and obviously now that you have read my story about strawberry cactus fruits, not just because of their beauty.   Local authors Gertrud and Ad Konings have published a beautiful book on cactus in Texas entitled Cacti of Texas in their Natural Habitat (2009).  This book is no doubt the most colorful and complete book for its size ever published on the cacti of Texas.   I have looked over all kinds of cactus books over the years and few books can compare. In Texas alone there are 136 species and the Konings were able to include a photograph of each and every one in their book. 

If you don’t have much affection for the cacti of Texas, it is no doubt because you have no idea how amazing each species is, uniquely adapted to living in our arid desert.  Everyone living in the Chihuahuan Desert should be able to name at least a dozen or more species.

Every day as urban sprawl destroys more and more large areas of desert, the cacti living in our area and all the wildlife species associated with them are disappearing.  Want to help conserve them?  The first step is learning the names of the common species in our area.   Cacti of Texas in their Natural Habitat will help you do just that.   After that a good next step would be joining El Paso’s Rock and Cactus Club and organizations like the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition and Frontera Land Alliance. 

Rick LoBello
Education Curator

Photos
Cover (claret cup cactus), top and bottom – Rick LoBello
All others Ad Konings