Thursday, September 13, 2012
Cactus Blossom

A beautiful cactus blossom from our travels. This plant was amazing and the blossoms were several inches across.

Friday, July 20, 2012
Man Eating Jungle Cactus

Ok, well maybe not man eating, but if you see him in person you might think it's possible. This is one of my Epis, and although there is not much in this image for size reference the blossom is at least eight inches across. These beauties are more like orchids than cacti. They, or more specifically their non-hybridized ancestors, grow in the South African jungle canopy and in the wild they are polinated by bats. Nature never ceases to amaze!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Epi Blossoms

I love my plants, as evidenced by the huge number of them on the site. This is an example of one in particular that makes us want a bigger back yard. The flower is about eight inches across. We have somewhere in the neighborhood of a hundred Epis. They're not all as big as this one, most are still small starts at this point. But if we want them to grow up to be big strong cacti we are going to need a lot more space! Once they grow up they are probably going to need their own site too... "The Epi of the Day"

Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Salmon Blossom

If you are not familiar with Epis, think christmas cactus' big brother. REALLY big! This one was only around six inches across. But some of them can get blossoms up to nine inches. One of ours has a single pad that is over two feet long. They are beautiful and we need a bigger back yard because we have collected so many.

Thursday, January 17, 2008
Iridescent Epi Blossom

One of our Orchid Cacti, blooming like crazy. It may look like a close macro shot, but it is actually THAT BIG! 'Bout 9" across. I have kind of gone wild with Orchid Cacti. We actually have about a hundred epis now. Most started from small cuttings.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Ackermanii in the Morning Sun

My wife pointed this blossom out to me this morning. It's a good thing too. The sun was so harsh this afternoon that the top of it got burned! This is on our biggest Orchid Cactus. It has been blooming non-stop for about a month which is pretty impressive since even in the shade each blossom only lasts for a few days.

Saturday, May 26, 2007
Salmon Epi

Another of our new Orchid Cacti cuttings is showing off. This one surprised me. The bud did not seem to grow when we first got it. And as a cutting, I did not expect it to. Unlike the Iridescence cutting that started opening the day we brought it home, this guy's bud was very small. Once we got it in the pot however it was a different story. The pad perked up and the bud got bigger and, as you can see, it is very happy now.

Saturday, May 19, 2007
Blooming Irridescense

Well Saturday has become Epiphyllum day apparently, so why break with tradition. :-D

This is the second blossom on the cutting from last week as it was about to open. The cuttings are all planted now and seem to be doing well. I used a combination of soil, peat moss, bark and coconut fibers.

I'm trying for better drainage than usual because from what we have read they will actually have a better root structure if they have to go looking for water and nourishment. (I usually just plant them in potting soil.)

Since they are a jungle canopy plant, the roots are supposed to be almost as impressive as the pads themselves, up to six feet! Now that's a root! I'd like to see that, but I don't know if I have the nerve to try to coax them into growing that long.

Saturday, May 12, 2007
Epiphyllum Irridescense

Last Sunday there was a Cactus and Succulent show here in Santa Barbara. We went looking for some new Epiphyllums, and specifically this one. I saw one the day before at a Nursery and had my fingers crossed they would have it at the show. We got this one as a single pad cutting. Of course that one pad is about two feet long and four inches wide, with two blossoms.

To get an idea of the scale, the petals are almost an inch across and about five long. The whole blossom is at least eight inches across.

I hope you like it, because there are more Epi photos to come. We got seven cuttings at the show of six different varieties! I think it is safe to say we have a jungle in our back yard now since I have long since lost count how many we have.

Saturday, May 5, 2007
Wild Jungle Cactus

No it's not a man eating plant. (Well as long as I keep watering it and do what it says anyway.) The flowers on my Orchid Cacti are usually pretty amazing, but this one is particularly wild and they are not even open yet! There is nothing in the photo for size reference but the pink part of the blossom is at least four inches long. It's a good time of year to be a crazy photographer with a collection of wild plants!

Monday, April 30, 2007
Friends

When the Epiphyllum get going they really go wild. This blossom (the red one) is from the beautiful cactus that got us kicked out of our last apartment. Well, maybe not that dramatic, but I sure was not going to trim the cactus like the land lord wanted!

The lilies lived here when we moved in. They are actually in the ground in what we now call "Cactus Corner". They have had to stretch a little taller to see the sun. But they make an amazing contrast with the cactus and they always seem to be intertwined, I like to think they are friends.

Saturday, April 28, 2007
Spring Epiphyllum

It's looking a lot like spring around here. We've spent the last couple of weekends working on our yard. New pots and more dirt all around. This beauty now has an automated dripper. Even though it is a cactus, ours are the happiest when they are sitting in a puddle of water for a couple of hours a day. Of course if you have been treating yours like a desert plant, I would recommend making the transition to hydroponics slowly, so as not to shock it.

Saturday, August 12, 2006
Cactus Blossom

Today we went over to La Sumida Nursery in search of a nice hummingbird feeder. Our current hummingbird feeder is just about done blooming.

Didn't find anything too interesting in a feeder. But the amazing display of plants always makes it a great place to wander with a camera.

Sunday, June 11, 2006
Sharp Pear Blossom

There are pads on this cactus that are completely covered around the edge with blossoms. I have tried to get some nice shots that show the amazing quantity, but the beauty of the individual blossoms and buds keeps drawing me in closer.

Tuesday, June 6, 2006
Orchid Cactus in the Fern

This plant is getting huge! I love it! It sits high on a stack of clay pots and wooden planters in the corner of our yard. This is one of its "exploration" runners that it has sent off in search of rich soil or water (or in lieu of that possibly small farm animals).

Monday, May 29, 2006
Night Blooming Epiphyllum

Another one of our Orchid Cacti started it's show this evening. From what I read this is more what they are like in the wild. This beautiful blossom opened up as the sun was going down. The flower has a great fragrance and it is about twice the size of the flowers on our big day-blooming Epiphyllum. It is at least 6" from tip to tip of the outside petals, with the cup of petals in the middle being over 4".

Most of the wild Epiphyllum blossoms last only one night and fade by morning so I wanted to get a shot of this right away. This is the first time this guy is blooming since we got him, so I don't know exactly what to expect. But, If I can get him in full sunlight I will try to get a nice shot with some reference to the size.

So, blooms at night, Has a blossom the size of a salad plate that is white and fragrant that you could see even if you were flying around half blind. Can you tell what they are trying to attract?

Friday, May 19, 2006
Epiphyllum Blossom

This is one of our blooming Orchid Cacti that I mentioned the other day.

If you have one and want to know what makes them happy, we have one in full sunlight and several in the shade. (this guy is actually hanging from our patio umbrella) The full sun one is HUGE, the others are still happy. One was inside for a while. It is much happier outside, although it grew very long thin pads looking for food while it was inside. Now that it is outside it is popping out all kinds of thick little pads along the lengths of the woody thin pads. Makes for a very interesting plant. One thing they all have in common is they love water. You may think since they are cacti, they like to be dry, but they are definitely jungle plants. More about their history, and one of the reasons I love them so much see this photo of the day.

Wednesday, May 3, 2006
Cactus Feathers

Zoe took me for a walk today, as she has been known to do. We took a little different path than we normally do. We went past this beautiful Prickly Pear cactus up the street from us. It is about six feet tall and it is in a pot in front of a house near the street. It is pretty obvious by the health of the plant that the growth of the roots has not been slowed by the bottom of the pot!

I think the coloring on the petals makes them look like feathers.

Sunday, August 7, 2005
Desert View

This was a sunny day in front of my old apartment in Palm Desert, CA. This cactus was over six feet tall and they actually had to prune it a couple times a year to keep it that height.

Monday, June 20, 2005
Lotusland Entryway

The day I took this was a bit overcast which actually gave the image a nice feel. IMHO, harsher shadows would make the photo busier and take away from the overall feel.

Monday, June 13, 2005
Mission Arches

One of my new collection of local architecture images. I am preparing them for a restaurant remodel.

Thursday, May 19, 2005
Now That's a Stinger!

I like to chase bees, as I mentioned before. So far I have been fortunate and none of my subjects have stung me. I suppose it is only a matter of time, but when I get the image I am looking for... I kind of think the feeling could make up for the pain of a sting.

Sunday, May 15, 2005
Cactus Garden

Lotusland is an amazing place. The result of one person's love of plants. Now it is open to the public (by reservation). There are gardens of all kinds, not just it's namesake flowers. Some, like this cactus garden, are new since the garden's benefactor, Ganna Walska, passed away. It has been a wonderful place for a photographer, rich with subjects you would never see in the wild.

• Lotusland
• Photo of the Day March, 31. "Lotusland, Cactus Blossoms"
• Photo of the Day February, 15. "Lotusland, Lantern"
• Photo of the Day February, 1. "Lotusland, Peaceful Spot"

Thursday, March 31, 2005
Cactus Blossoms

This cactus lives in an interesting place. A spot in Lotusland where you can stand in the middle of the street and see an incredible example of parallel evolution. On one side of the street are Cactus, from the deserts of the Americas. On the other, there are plants that most would mistakenly call cacti too. However, if you look a little closer, you will see some subtle differences. For example, thicker thorns rather than thin "needles" and a sticky white sap, which incidentally is at least a little poisonous. These plants are Euphorbia. Their most common relative, one that you would probably recognize, is the Poinsettia. They are from the arid areas of Africa. Although they appear similar to Cacti, they have been separated by a half a world for most of their evolutionary history. An interesting statement on the influence of environment in evolution.