Botanical Cactus Gardens

"I'd like to be under the sea,

In an octopus's garden in the shade."

For some reason, this song is now playing in my head and it won't go away... !

 I've ditched the parka for today. 

Here instead, is the Mojave Desert - and you're looking at +42C :)

On our trip to Vegas in August, we visited a Botanical Cactus Gardens, situated at the Ethel M. Chocolate Factory in Henderson, Nevada. These gardens are beautifully landscaped, with walking trails throughout. 

There are 300 types of cacti on a 3-acre parcel of land. 

I've only ever seen the miniature versions of some of these.

Here is my lovely daughter Caroline & her buddy Prickly Pete;

Caroline's an extrovert - she seems to make friends everywhere she goes, lol! 

I love cacti and succulents and only wish some of the rooms in my house received the proper sun-exposure, or I'd grow them myself. I do have quite a few 'Hens 'n Chicks' in my back yard though, and they have survived many a harsh winter - which always amazes me each spring.

Here's an interesting factoid I learned while putting this post together:

All cacti are succulents - but not all succulents are cacti... confused yet?

The Ethel M. Chocolate Factory, which we also toured, has a system in place, called a "Living Machine," where all the waste water from the factory is recycled into an on-site waste water treatment facility, and by using bacteria, snail, fish & algae (completely chemical free), 100% of the waters needed to maintain the gardens are generated. There are also ponds which attract and water the many birds which live in the gardens. You can just see the blue of one of these ponds directly behind this knoll.

Expand these panoramics!