A blooming Opuntia basilaris, the beavertail cactus or beavertail pricklypear, covered with gorgeous pink flowers near a boulder stacks at Joshua Tree National Park. Native to the deserts of northwest Mexico and southwestern regions of the United States, this species has a restricted range and grows in protected areas such as Joshua Tree, reaching only up to 16” inches in height. The vibrant flowers are pink, rose or magenta-purple in colors. Known as glochids, they have multiple tiny reddish-br

The prickly pear is the edible fruit of several species of the Opuntia cactus, which is native to the Americas but now grows in warm, dry climates around the world. The cactus itself has flat, paddle-shaped pads covered in spines, and from its flowers come oval fruits known as prickly pears or “tunas.” These fruits range in color from green to yellow, orange, red, or deep purple depending on the species and ripeness. They have a sweet, melon-like flavor with small, hard seeds inside. To eat them