Description

Danza de Colores, Chenille Prickly Pear
30×60 Oil on Canvas
$14400

Available at Manitou Gallery in Santa Fe

In the Southwest we are blessed by the beauty of many varieties of opuntia (or prickly pear), some native, some introduced. One of my favorite plants is the Chenille Prickly Pear. While in bloom, its flowers range from yellow to crimson on the same plant. But don’t get too close; also nicknamed Cowboy’s Red Whiskers, this plant is deceptively prickly due to its dense clusters of glochids (or microspines), which are painful and hard to remove.

These plants are most at home in the Monterrey region of Mexico and along the Rio Grand in Texas, but they are a favorite cactus in many southwest gardens, including mine. On this day, their colors looked as if they were dancing, twirling and spinning like ladies in their finest at a fiesta.