Desert Delights

      In the morning and throughout the day, they bask in full sunlight and burst open like this:

 By evening, they seem to wither a bit as their energy wanes with the setting sun:

     You may already know--they are prickly pear cactus, abundant in our new environment.  We encounter them on almost every hike.  This particular patch is along the edge of our driveway.  They were just a spikey cactus when we moved in a few weeks ago.  One morning last week, I spied the yellow blossoms.  When I finally remembered in the evening that I wanted to photograph them, I discovered the change that occurs as the daylight fades.  Fascinating.