• Home
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Digital Archives
  • Contact
    • Letter to Editor
  • Find us
Monday, April 19, 2021
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
Mission Times Courier
  • A&E
    • Art
    • Books
    • Film
    • Music
    • Theater
  • News & Features
    • News
      • News Briefs
    • Politics
      • La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club
      • Navajo Canyon Republican Women
      • Elected Official Reports
        • Dianne’s Corner
        • Mara Elliott
        • District 7 Dispatch
        • Summer Stephan
        • Susan Davis
        • Toni G. Atkins
    • Features
    • Community Updates
      • Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation
      • Allied Gardens – Grantville Community Council
      • Del Cerro Action Council
      • San Carlos Area Council
  • Food & Drink
    • Bars & Happy Hours
    • Restaurant Reviews
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Health & Fitness
    • Pets
    • Travel
    • Recreation/Nature
      • Mission Trails – Trail Guide
      • iNaturalist
    • Navajo Voices
  • Business
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Best of Mission Times Courier
    • Expert Advice
    • Sponsored links
  • Library/Education
    • Library
      • Allied Gardens/Benjamin Branch Library
      • San Carlos Library
    • Patrick Henry High School
  • Calendar
  • Experts
Mission Times Courier
  • A&E
    • Art
    • Books
    • Film
    • Music
    • Theater
  • News & Features
    • News
      • News Briefs
    • Politics
      • La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club
      • Navajo Canyon Republican Women
      • Elected Official Reports
        • Dianne’s Corner
        • Mara Elliott
        • District 7 Dispatch
        • Summer Stephan
        • Susan Davis
        • Toni G. Atkins
    • Features
    • Community Updates
      • Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation
      • Allied Gardens – Grantville Community Council
      • Del Cerro Action Council
      • San Carlos Area Council
  • Food & Drink
    • Bars & Happy Hours
    • Restaurant Reviews
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Health & Fitness
    • Pets
    • Travel
    • Recreation/Nature
      • Mission Trails – Trail Guide
      • iNaturalist
    • Navajo Voices
  • Business
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Best of Mission Times Courier
    • Expert Advice
    • Sponsored links
  • Library/Education
    • Library
      • Allied Gardens/Benjamin Branch Library
      • San Carlos Library
    • Patrick Henry High School
  • Calendar
  • Experts
No Result
View All Result
Mission Times Courier
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured

Observation of the month: Fish-Hook Cactus

by SDCNN
July 10, 2020
in Featured, Mission Trails - Trail Guide, News from the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation
0
Observation of the month: Fish-Hook Cactus

Fish-Hook Cactus (Photo by Millie Basden)

0
SHARES
219
VIEWS

By PATRICIA SIMPSON

Cute and cuddly! Not really what one thinks of when meeting a cactus. But our observation of the month by christybeck (visit bit.ly/3g6bwFu) isn’t just any prickly plant, it’s the Fish-Hook Cactus (Mammilliaria dioica). Cute for its small size and tight cluster. Cuddly for its softer-than-most appearance. But let’s not fool ourselves, it’s never a good idea to cuddle with a cactus, especially one that bears the name “fish-hook,” a tool meant to capture and not let go of its prey.

Have you ever noticed that a cactus has clusters of spines all around? These are called areoles. In the Fish Hook Cactus, straight short spines shoot out of the areole in a circle formation, except for one long spine at the very center which grows quite a bit longer than the others and is curved at the end, like (you guessed it) a fish hook!

You may see mammillaria cacti in bloom in early spring and enjoy the beautiful white to cream colored flowers. Each petal has a pale pink line through the center. The fruit that follows in late spring to summer is quite striking. It is oblong, bright red and supposedly delicious, tasting somewhat like a mix of strawberry and kiwi, which explains the other common name for the plant: Strawberry Cactus.

In San Diego, the Fish-Hook Cactus is found on the coast and in the desert at up to 1,500 feet in elevation. Most of the observations of this cactus in the MTRP Biodiversity Project on iNat are actually located in an open space area adjacent to the park’s western boundary, but Fish Hook Cactus may be found within the park boundaries, so keep an eye out for it and be sure to document it if you see it.

Just in case you fell in love with this cactus and are still considering the cuddling thing, check out this observation (bit.ly/2ZoEh9C) by jaykeller from 2015. Mr. Lizard, if he could, would highly recommend you refrain from such attempt.

— Patricia Simpson is a trail guide at Mission Trail Regional Park.

SDCNN

SDCNN

Next Post
Allied Gardens/Grantville Community Council news

Allied Gardens/Grantville Community Council news

Loading Facebook Comments ...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Mission Times Courier

© 2019 Mission Times Courier. All rights reserved. San Diego Community News Network (SDCNN).

Navigate our site

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Arts & Entertainment
    • Art
    • Books
    • Film
    • Music
    • Theater
  • News & Features
    • News
    • Politics
      • Elected Official Reports
    • Community Updates
      • San Carlos Area Council
      • La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club
      • Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation
      • Navajo Canyon Republican Women
      • News from the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation
      • News from the San Carlos/Lake Murray Recreation Council
    • Features
  • Food & Drink
    • Bars & Happy Hours
    • Restaurant Reviews
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Business
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Best of Mission Times Courier
    • Expert Advice
    • Sponsored links
  • Library/Education
    • Allied Gardens/Benjamin Branch Library
    • Patrick Henry High School
      • Patrick Henry school nurse
      • Patrick Henry sports
    • San Carlos Friends of the Library
  • Lifestyle
    • Health & Fitness
    • Fashion
    • Pets
    • Travel
    • Recreation/Nature
      • Mission Trails – Trail Guide
    • Navajo Voices
  • About
  • Contact
  • Archive
  • Advertising
  • Calendar
  • Experts

© 2019 Mission Times Courier. All rights reserved. San Diego Community News Network (SDCNN).

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In