Royalty Free Cactus Pictures
Royalty Free Pictures of Cactus
Royalty Free Cactus Stock Photos
Finding good cacti to photograph is easier in dry climates such as New Mexico and Arizona. Arizona is probably the most interesting because everyone is familiar with the giant Saguaro from movies and pictures.
The Sonoran desert, where is where Saguaro grow, never freezes. It gets very dry, but not that cold and that permits species to thrive there which can't handle freezing.
Some of the desert species have also developed unique interdependencies with specialized insects and depend on them for polination.
The population of Arizona is growing fast so deserts areas are being developed rapidly. This destroys habitat and displaces many species.
Planning to take good cacti pictures is partly a matter of following the weather reports. Many cacti are more influenced by rainfall than temperature. Buggy Whip cactus for example, leaf out after rainfall and then drop the leaves as soon as it gets dry again.
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Pink Cholla Cactus in BloomWe had an exceptionally wet fall which really brought out the cactus flowers. These cholla were growing on the back road about 20 miles south of Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA After clicking the More link you will see another picture which shows you … MORE>>> |
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Pink Cholla Blossom CloseupThis is a closeup of a blooming cholla. The flower is between two and three inches in diameter. This is a royalty free stock photograph. |
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Crown of ThornsThe flowers are pretty, but the plant certainly defends itself and it’s water everywhere else. The flower is designed to attract visits from pollinating insects so there is an unobstructed path to the pollen rich center of the flower. Insects and small mammals that might … MORE>>> |
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Plant SymbiosisMuch of the desert is used to graze cattle, sheep and/or goats. Plants that are good to eat will soon be eradicated because the grazing animals are very clever about finding and eating them. Sheep, for example, are considered dumb, but they are very adept … MORE>>> |
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Orange Cactus BlossomsThis clump of cactus blooms in orange. The flowers are smaller than the Cholla pictured above and not nearly so pollen rich. If you look closely around the top left flowers you will see little clusters of small spines. The larger thorns will easily punch … MORE>>> |
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Pink Cholla & Blue SkyCentral New Mexico, USA, where this cholla grows, is very dry and has gorgeous blue skies. The heat and dryness are hard on flowers but make nice pictures for a very brief time. As you can imagine, the moisture loss from the flowers is … MORE>>> |
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Tiny Clump of CactiThis clump of tiny cacti is growing near Ghost Ranch in norther New Mexico, USA. The lens cap from our camera gives you and idea of how small they are. Notice also how there is nothing else growing around the cacti and how unstable … MORE>>> |