A blooming Opuntia basilaris, the beavertail cactus or beavertail pricklypear, covered with gorgeous pink flowers near a boulder stacks at Joshua Tree National Park. Native to the deserts of northwest Mexico and southwestern regions of the United States, this species has a restricted range and grows in protected areas such as Joshua Tree, reaching only up to 16” inches in height. The vibrant flowers are pink, rose or magenta-purple in colors. Known as glochids, they have multiple tiny reddish-br