Ouch!

Flash Back Ouch! By Earl Plato

Ouch! I had reached down to touch the Prickly Pear cactus and reacted with a cry, “Ouch!.” Son Paul and I were at Point Pelee on the east trail. A few yellow flowers growing close to the sandy soil caught Paul’s attention. We had discovered several Prickly Pear cacti plants. Yes, here in Canada’s most southern point. The Audubon Guide reads, “Care should be taken in handling it, since the barbed glochids can be more troublesome than the typical spines of most cacti.” I know by painful experience several small barbs attacked my fingers almost as if they jumped from the cactus.
Daughter Diane O’Brien and family just returned from a week in Arizona. Great photos including those of the cacti- Seguro, Barrel and a variety of these spiny plants. Those in their compound were regularly watered and looked healthy. And yes, there were many Prickly Pear cacti with in the confines of a large cacti garden. Late January 2009 in Arizona there were no yellow flowers in bloom on the flat, fleshy green pads.