Resiliency

This small prickly pear cactus in my backyard is out of my view - hidden by a large Texas Ranger bush.  It was planted as a single cutting less than four years ago and had grown to be about a foot in two directions.

We had two hard freezes this winter.  I remembered to cover this little guy before the first one, but completely forgot about him for the one at the beginning of February under blankets like these.

When I finally went out to check on the little fellow, I thought for sure I had lost him.  He had flattened out like a pancake...from the center out.  Sides laying virtually on the ground.

Yesterday, I looked out into the backyard and saw growth...the beginning of buds...on my various little cacti that I have been growing from cuttings since mid- 2007.  It's way too early in the season for this to be happening.  It's almost a month too soon!

I snuck behind my bush and took a look at this little guy.  Not only is it going to flower (notice the budding around the edges) but new "pads" are growing out of the center.  Those five sprouts in the center are not flower buds.  They are growth of actual cactus.

Now that, my friends, is resiliency!