There is this large bush like cactus in my yard that looks pretty ugly most of the year. It traps all sorts of debris with its spiky fingers so it always looks a mess. It has a redeeming quality though. Once a year is covers itself with beautiful pink flowers.

 

 

I think whoever planted this cactus wasn’t thinking of the needs of a cactus. It was planted in the shade of a massive tree, and is constantly reaching for the sun. It leans so far toward the sun that it just falls over sometimes. Every time a section hits the ground, it puts down roots. In this way, it’s actually slowly crawling toward the sun. It’s an extremely slow journey though. In the four years I’ve lived on the property, it hasn’t actually made it out of the shade and has probably only made a few inches of progress.

 

 

 

Is it weird to feel bad for a cactus? I wonder how different this cactus would look if it wasn’t reaching for the sun. I suspect it would grow taller and have blooms all over the place, not just on the side it leans toward.