X is for Xerophyte

Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday letter prompt is X.

Looking into the heart of a prickly pear (cactus) blossom

The dictionary defination of xerophyte is A plant that grows in and is adapted to a an environment deficient in moisture. The most common ones are cacti and succulents. The cacti in the photos are the first I have ever seen in bloom. So, naturally, my camera leapt into my hand when I spotted them last month.

The garden in my photos is that of conscientious neighbors who realize that California is thirsty, with resevoirs very low. We are currently under a water conservation alert. I have never seen the neighbors give ANY water to this garden.

Here are other views of the neighbors' garden.

prickly pear blossoms mixed with varieties of ice plant (a succulent).

Some of the little flowers are those that thrive on sand dunes.

I don't water either, but my garden has not been planned with that in mind, with the result that we are losing many of our plants that can't live without summer water. The plus side of that is that those that survive thrive, such as our aggressive pink geraniums that ask only that they occasionally be cut back to a few inches above the ground.

My xerophytic geraniums