Can you tell what this is?
Need a hint?
I photographed it last week in a recently-burned sand prairie along the Platte River in Nebraska.
Think you know? Read on to find out.
This is a photo of a prickly pear cactus pad a month or so after a prescribed fire. Typically, fire topkills cacti in our prairies, but they survive and regrow. In fact, below this burned and discolored pad, there was a tiny little new pad starting to emerge from the ground.
Have a great weekend!
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About Chris Helzer
Chris Helzer is the Director of Science for The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska. His main role is to evaluate and capture lessons from the Conservancy’s land management and restoration work and then share those lessons with other landowners – both private and public. In addition, Chris works to raise awareness about the importance of prairies and their conservation through his writing, photography, and presentations to various groups.
Chris is also the author of "The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States", published by the University of Iowa Press. He lives in Aurora, Nebraska with his wife Kim and their children.
Yep, I guessed it, because I have prickly pears in my cactus garden and have had hands full of glochids many times. Neat photo; you could submit it to a company that designs wallpaper. Heh heh.
Thanks Chris for the great photo, question, and life history note.
I, too, guessed correctly, maybe because I lived in TX for over 25 years. Only recently have I learned to describe the burning of above ground plants is described as a top kill. Always love the photographs and text.