Claret Cup Cactus

Claret Cup Cactus, a Hedgehog cactus, is typically found at higher elevations. This cactus comes in a half dozen species and numerous varieties. The flowers stay open at night, unlike many other species of cacti whose flowers close in the evening. The flowers last three to five days. Pictures taken just off a jeep (only) trail high in the foothills of the Bradshaw Mtns. north of the Lake Pleasant Regional Park area, by Paul Santori, Sr. the creator of "Wildflowers of the Sonoran Desert," a wildflower photograph and data base resource available on CD.