Bloomin' Cholla

(back blip)

This isn't a prickly pear but it is a cactus.  It's the same cholla that this curve-billed thrasher was hiding in.  The flowers are quite tiny, maybe an inch wide, but the color definitely stands out.  They must be awfully sweet, too.  I have never seen a hummingbird sipping from ground cactus flowers but they seem to love the cholla flowers.

It's not the best time of year for feeders during the day in my yard because the ocotillo, cholla and red yucca are blooming and natural nectar is always preferred.  They still feed from my nectar in the morning and before last light so they can re-energize after waking or to have energy to survive through the night.