Art by Audrey Carver • Arte por Audrey Carver

I am a low-growing cactus that forms wide clusters of flat, blue-green to purplish pads. I may look soft and fuzzy, but don't be fooled-my tiny barbed glochids can stick to your skin! In spring, I brighten the desert with brilliant magenta flowers that attract native bees, butterflies, and moths looking for nectar. My fruits and pads provide food for desert tortoises, jackrabbits, ground squirrels, woodrats, insects, and people, when carefully prepared. Birds, reptiles, and small mammals hide beneath my spiny branches to stay safe from predators and the hot sun. My shallow roots quickly soak up rain, while my pads store water and shrink during drought to conserve moisture. These adaptations help me survive in hot, dry deserts and protect the soil from erosion as the climate becomes warmer.