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The hairs on the Old Man Cactus are modified spines and serve to protect the plant from frost and sun by reflecting the rays of the sun and insulating the cactus from heat and cold.  The hairs are only the radial spines of the cactus; beneath them are sharp yellow central spines. The solitary, nocturnal flowers are red, yellow, or white, though the plant may not flower for 10 or 20 years.  Since I don’t know if I’ll be around that long, I’m going to share these photos of these flower guardians which are as beautiful as flowers in my estimation!.

See Cee’s lovely tulip cluster  with lots of real flowers HERE.

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Here are shots of the entire plants. Don’t get excited. What looks like a flower is actually a bird of paradise flower peeking out from behind the cactus. We will have to wait at least 10 years for these ladies to bloom.