fragile prickly pear, Opuntia fragilis

Fragile prickly pear always reminds me of a large animal veterinarian. Ever hear one of Baxter Black the vet's stories on NPR? One of them involved his childhood on a ranch, and his habit of bringing orphan critter babies home. The tale devolved into his mother's reaction to the baby cactus. It was really a tale of laughing at diversity. If you've passed by fragile prickly pear you can identify. It spreads its sections around by grabbing hold at the slightest chance and riding to its next home. And as you can see, Mom's not going to happily help you get these off your pants legs. Fragile or brittle prickly pear grows in AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, KS, MI, MN, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY, AB, BC, MB, ON, and SK. Ouray Co CO, 6/21/13. Cactus family, Cactaceae.