Advice from a Cactus - Accentuate your strong points!
Those spiky spines do serve a very important purpose for a cactus: they keep animals away who would love to make a meal out of them. The spines are actually the leaves of the cactus that have evolved to adapt to the hot temperatures they grow in. They not only provide protection, but offer shade which lowers the plant's water loss. One of the cactus' many gifts to the desert is the incredible flowers used to paint its beauty across the rocky and sandy terrain.
Saguaro National Park
Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center
Mojave Desert Land Trust
Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan
Sonoran Desert Fact Sheets