Cylindropuntia imbricata (Tree Cholla) on 5-22-25, #1045-2.

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well. We seem to be having a break from cool, cloudy, and rainy weather. I really didn’t mind it because we need the rain and soon it will be getting hot and dry. Time flies, you know, and you never know what the forecast has in store.

I hadn’t taken photos of the Tree Cholla since 2022, so I took a couple on April 21 then two more on May 22.

Cylindropuntia imbricata (Tree Cholla) on 5-22-25, #1045-3.

I’ve always been fascinated with this plant and how it has grown and changed since I brought it home from Wagler’s Greenhouse in 2019. It has grown a little crooked, but you have to admit it has character. It now stands 37″ tall and 18″ wide…

Early Friday evening, my son said he had seen some purple flowers and wondered what they were. I figured they were likely Wild Sweet Peas, but I thought we should investigate just in case something new was happening somewhere.

As we were walking by the Tree Cholla, I told Nathan I really liked this plant because it was always changing. I started showing him the new growth, but what I saw was a complete surprise… It is normally giving me a “come a little closer” look, but this time, I think it was smiling at me..

IT HAS BUDS!!!

Cylindropuntia imbricata (Tree Cholla) on 5-30-25, #1048-3.

I could hardly believe it! It was one of THOSE moments I could hardly believe what I was seeing. I have had many WOW moments and this was definitely one of them. Yeah, I know, it’s a cactus, but I have had several of those moments with cactus. I won’t go down the list at the moment, but maybe it could be a post in the making. Maybe titled, “WOW Cactus Moments…” Trust me, I have had many more “OUCH” moments than “WOW” moments…

Cylindropuntia imbricata (Tree Cholla) on 5-30-25, #1048-4.

Yep, it is really real! It definitely isn’t a strawflower that has been stuck on… No, I didn’t touch it because I know how this cactus can be. I’ve felt its poke many times.

Cylindropuntia imbricata (Tree Cholla) on 5-30-25, #1048-5.

Yeah, I like joking around with my plants, especially the cactus. They always seem so serious so I try to get them to lighten up a little. This one, however, is about as territorial as they come. Every time I pull grass from around it, I get a poke no matter how careful I am. I am sure it does it on purpose.

Cylindropuntia imbricata (Tree Cholla) on 5-30-25, #1048-6.

New growth is always neat and a little more user friendly. It grows odd leaves that eventually fall off. You still have to be very careful touching it, because not only does it have very sharp spines, it all has glochids. You know, those tiny spines that get in your fingers and you can barely see or move.

If you want to go to its own page and see LOTS of photos from 2019 until now, click HERE. I just read the page again for the first time in a long time. It brought back some memories and made me smile. 🙂 I think there are 52 photo on the page.

Well, that’s it for this post. I’ll try to find something to write about soon.

Until then, take care, be safe, stay well, always be thankful, and always GET DIRTY!