Spiny cactus II

I don't think I can crop out the centre spines, Jim, but I've tried photographing a smaller rosette, with less of a mess in the middle, and head on this time. Not sure I like it any better... maybe I should wait until it flowers again, but then the flowers distract from the pattern of the creases on the body.

Did you know that these indentations enable the plant to alter its shape to accommodate large differences in the amount of water it stores? In wet conditions it swells up, and shrinks again under dry conditions. This enables the plant to survive long periods of drought. Some cacti will split if they are overwatered and the expansion can't accommodate the amount of water they take in. These cacti have very thick, tough skins that don't have much elasticity.

PS I could try more magnification with the extension tube....