The desert prickly-pear, known to botanists as Opuntia phaeacantha, is the Southwest's most widespread and abundant species of cactus. Unlike the giant saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) that is restricted ...

With their tough skins, pointy armor and legendary stamina, cacti are made to defend themselves from whatever nature throws at them. But large solar energy facilities are one threat that cacti weren’t ...

A new study shows that demand for wild cactus and rare plants many soon surpass supply in the Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico and the US. Gland, Switzerland – Demand for wild cactus and rare plants by ...

It’s taken about two decades for a cactus in the backyard of Bill Edelen’s condo to grow to nearly two-stories high and tower over his Palm Springs home. With one straight green stalk, and a few buds ...

Set in Southern California, my HO scale layout includes a Southern Pacific train order office surrounded by a desert scene. Although this arid landscape has sparse vegetation, my scene needed two ...

Bearing the state flower of Arizona, the saguaro cactus remains an essential part of the Sonoran Desert’s identity. The 40-60 foot-tall saguaro and its fruit are great natural resources for both ...

The Saguaro National Park is found in the Sonoran Desert. This Park is home to the largest species of cacti. Find out more about this interesting desert and the scientists studying there at the ...

April can be an especially colorful time in the desert, as many of our native cacti unfurl their short-lived but spectacular flowers during these few weeks. Among the very showiest are the hedgehog ...

Spring has once again returned to the deserts of North America, and with her return, so too have the amazing colorful blooms of desert wildflowers and cacti. Because of the winter rains, this land, so ...

With their tough skins, pointy armor and legendary stamina, cacti are made to defend themselves from whatever nature throws at them. But large solar energy facilities are one threat that cacti weren’t ...

Many desert animals make use of the wide variety of cholla found within the desert environment. The fleshy fruits are a source of both food and moisture for many species of mammals. Birds find the ...