Small, even in cactus, can be beatiful

Some of the largest cactus flowers are more than a foot across, huge and showy. Cholla are not known for their flowers. They are known for their abundance of sharp and dangerous spines. The cholla are so covered with spines, it is easy to overlook the small delicate flowers, especially when those flowers are almost the same color as the rest of the plant. But here is an exception, a bright and cheerful cholla flower only about an inch or so across.