You will never see a cactus plant with such a beautiful red flower again.
Simply because it does not exist, but I will show you what it really is in the second shot below.
From our bedroom window it looked like the red flower was on the top of that round green and thorny cactus plant. So, I took a shot through the window of it to show you. But something else happened when I went outside to have a look at the red flower. Then the truth was revealed:) I think the little cactii with the red flowers are the Peanut Cactus (Chamaecereus silvestrii) and they come from Argentinia and Bolivia.
Flowers and me, have a very special relationship as they show me their beauty, but I never know their names. I love their beauty, and I prefer to leave them alone in the wild, but at times if it is a very special flower then we buy them for our garden from a nursery. Sadly, there are criminal syndicates in our country, and they poach the wildflowers to sell on the black market. We are most grateful for those organisations that put money, time, effort, and resources into protecting the wildflowers.
Here's a view from the top, and the red flowers are on the plants behind the green cactus plant.
A new 24 hour flower (Echinopsis) stem is coming up, and I will share the flower as soon as it blooms.
Still a few days to go before it blooms.
This little plant (Astroloba) of the Aloe family has a new baby.
Now to share some garden wildlife below.
This is a male Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa caffra).
It seems to have made this its own territory, as it patrols the flowers almost permanently now.
He came in to land, as it is rare to find them sitting.
But no, instead he only sniffed at the flower.
Finally a Navy Dropwing Dragonfly (Trithemis furwa) landed on the hot paving.
Just a mix of lovely plants and insects to share with you in here. It pleases my eyes, and I hope that it will also have the same effect on you. Our two little gardens, one at the front of the house and the other at the back of the house, are crammed with cactii and succulents. The main reason is that they are very independent plants that do not need much attention, and one cannot handle a lot of them without gloves. It's always amazing to see how the little birds and the insects can land on the plants between the thorns. But if you try to put your finger on a plant like that, then it will be punctured by a thorn:)
Such is life.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
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