You can smell, you can even eat, but don't touch!

The prickly pear cactus are all blooming now, such beauty, you don't dare get too close though. Those thorns are sharp and have little barbs on them that make it very hard to pull them out of your skin. Ouchy. Once the blooms fall off, you can put on your heaviest leather work gloves and harvest the pears to use in various Mexican recipes, mostly they extract the juice. They say it tastes like a cross between bubblegum and watermelon!

[Sam]

How interesting Lou-Ann! I want to taste it, sounds delicious - but I'm not too fond of those nasty thorns! FAV

[Lou Ann]

@gigiflower when I Googled it, the first thing I noticed in the recipe photos was the thick, to the elbow leather gloves the chef was wearing to harvest the pears!

[Beryl Lloyd]

A lovely flowering cacti -- but wouldn't like to handle it !

[Lou Ann]

@gigiflower thank you for the fav! @beryl It is so beautiful and scary all at the same time!

[Pam Knowler]

Very pretty but don't go too close!

[Henri Russell]

So beautiful. I'm glad they are starting to bloom. I've got to get out and find my favorite plants.

[Bep]

This prickly pear cactus has beautiful flowers. Nice capture.

[Louise & Ken]

Wow, LouAnn, talk about spinning *magic*! You don't need any hot-shot filters to make this any more than the pure beauty it is! If it's the angle, you caught it perfectly, and the coloration is divine! I'd be taking lots of photos of this so as not to miss this glorious moment! Super big fave!!! (Hint: CARD!)

[Elyse Klemchuk]

Wow, look at that! I didn't know the prickly pear cactus had flowers! Wow!

[CC Folk]

Lovely cactus! Think I will keep my distance! :)

[Carole Sandford]

How pretty!

[Lou Ann]

@pamknowler I guess all the farmers wear blue jeans for a reason, I think they would repel these thorns, at least keep them away from the wearer's skin. @henrir They are loaded with blooms this year. Lori said they didn't have any blooms last year. @gijsje Thank you! 365 is so much fun! @Weezilou Yes, dear, I get the hint! I went back today because the blooms open during the day and close at night. I got some incredible shots today! @kchuk They are amazing plants! @gardenfolk Yes you need to stay away unless you suit up in jeans and leather gloves, ha! @carole_sandford Tgank you, Carole! Thanks everyone for putting this on the PP, what fun!

[Margo]

Wow Just love this pretty cactus in bloom Fav

[Babs]

The thorns look lethal.

[Nicole Campbell]

Those thorns look deadly

[Valerie Chesney]

Gorgeous capture, Wow. look at those thorns..

[Connie Little]

Deadly looking thorns but really beautiful blooms. Great shot.

[Lou Ann]

@777margo @onewing @nicolecampbell @happysnaps @littleconnie Thank you so much for commenting! This is the cactus so prevalent in the American Southwest. You can burn or scrape the needles off, slice and cook the paddles for various dishes. You can juice the pears (the base of the blooms), prickly pear syrup is used in all sorts of drink concoctions, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. A very versatile plant, to say the least.