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Opuntia phaeacantha
(Prickly Pear Cacti)
Cactaceae (Cactus Family) Semi-desert, foothills. Openings. Spring, summer. Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, May 24, 2004. The pads of various species of Opuntia are sometimes dotted with a white, sticky, cottony mass that turns out to have an interesting natural history. Dactylopus coccus, the small, red Cochineal Bug, creates a haven for itself by constructing this mass. Centuries ago human beings found that they could collect the Cochineal Bug from the white mass, crush the bug and obtain a bright red liquid (see picture below) that could be used as a dye.
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Opuntia phaeacantha
(Prickly Pear Cacti)
Cactaceae (Cactus Family) Semi-desert, foothills. Openings. Spring, summer. Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, May 24, 2004. I used a twig to carefully remove one cottony mass from the above Prickly Pear pad, and I then spread the mass on a rock. Immediately a bright red liquid oozed out and quickly dried to dark maroon. You can read more about the Cochineal Bug at many sites on-line. Start with http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ecoph3.htm and http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/Cochineal/ |
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Opuntia phaeacantha
(Prickly Pear Cacti) Cactaceae (Cactus Family) Semi-desert, foothills. Openings. Spring, summer. Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, April 21, 2008. It is common to see both Opuntia phaeacantha (pictured here) and Opuntia polyacantha sprawling along the ground in a maze-like configuration. Sands collect on the uphill side and eventually bury the pads but new pads arise from the old and the plants live on. |
