Butterfly Garden - Prickly Pear Cactus

Way back in first semester, my APES class was taking a tour of the butterfly garden. The teacher, Mrs. Riha, showed the class the various native plants that live in Illinois. I saw the usual tall grasses and wildflowers; but to my surprise, hiding in the shadows of the taller plants grew this spiky little plant. My first guess was that it was a cactus, but I never thought that they could be found as far north as Illinois. We all expect to find cactus all year round in the hot, dry deserts. However, very few people would even think of finding these prickly plants up here in our backyard. Well, to all y’all nonbelievers, the elusive cactus does take residence in Maine East’s own butterfly garden! True to its cactus roots, the Eastern prickly, or Opuntia humifusa to all you Latin speakers, prefers full sun and dry soil. Though it may certainly appreciate the extra rain we experience here, it will also survive the worst of the Midwestern droughts.

The Eastern prickly pear is a short plant that grows less than 3 feet. If you are able to see it between late spring and early summer you may catch the cactus in bloom. It seems so unfitting that such a spiky plant could have such a beautiful yellow flower... but don’t judge it. You never know what curveballs nature might throw at you, but this yellow flower certainly is a home run! The flower provides food for pollinators such as bees, which in turn allow the cactus to produce seeds inside their red fruit. The rest of the plant might appear to be unappetizing, but for animals like skunks, squirrels, rabbits, deer, and coyotes the fruit, stem, and seeds provide a free snack.

by Guest Blogger: Marc Solano, Class of 2012

Resident Profile: Eastern prickly pear cactus