When a cactus moth lays its eggs on an Opuntia cactus, it creates one of nature’s most effective camouflages. The eggs emerge as what is called an “egg stick”, because they look like the cactus spine.

Invasive species proliferating in Valais is encroaching on natural reserves and posing a biodiversity threat The residents of the Swiss canton of Valais are used to seeing their mountainsides covered ...

The Opuntia cactus in Kenya has become a thorn in the side for many residents as it slowly chokes their livelihoods. With thick leafless and fleshy stems, the Opuntia cactus, which is covered in ...

Walnut Creek’s Ruth Bancroft is a national authority on drought-resistant gardening. Twice a month, she and her staff share their knowledge with readers. Prickly pears (aka opuntias) have the widest ...

The desert prickly-pear, known to botanists as Opuntia phaeacantha, is the Southwest's most widespread and abundant species of cactus. Unlike the giant saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) that is restricted ...

: I enjoy reading your column in the Las Vegas Review-Journal and now I have a question about my cacti. They have been wilted or thin for about 8 months. I bought them in October 2006 and planted them ...

Known by lovable names like the bunny ear cactus, or the Mickey Mouse cactus, it’s easy to think that Opuntia microdasys might be a friendly plant. It grows from flattened oval shaped stems, often ...