Claudio Contreras / Prickly pear (Opuntia sp.) growing on coastline, Socorro Island, Revillagigedo Archipelago National Park (Socorro Islands), Pacific Ocean, Western Mexico, November, Honorary Mention in the third natio...

Jack Dykinga / Hairy bird's foot morning glory (Ipomoea leptotoma) flower over Prickly pair (Opuntia sp) Catalina State Park, near Tucson, Arizona, USA, August.

Jack Dykinga / Gopher snake (Pituophis sp) amongst Lechuguilla (Agave lechuguilla) and prickly pear cacti (Opuntia macrocentra), Maderas del Carmen Natural Reserve, Mexico

Jack Dykinga / Dense stands of Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia sp) in Tamaulipas, Mexico

Jack Dykinga / California Poppies (Eschscholtzia californica) and flowering Spurge (Euphorbia sp) with a Cholla Cactus (Opuntia cholla) skeleton, Tres Virgenes, Baja California Sur, Mexico, Central America

Cyril Ruoso / Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) eating Opuntia (Opuntia sp) cactus, introduced from South America, it became a very important food subsistance for Lemurs, cattle and even humans, vulnerable, Berenty P...

Suzi Eszterhas / Digger Bee (Melissodes sp) pollinating Engelmann Prickly Pear (Opuntia engelmannii) flower, Red Corral Ranch, Texas

Tom Vezo / Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) in nest in Cholla (Opuntia sp) cactus, Green Valley, Arizona

Tim Fitzharris / Opuntia (Opuntia sp) in Chihuahuan Desert landscape, Big Bend National Park, Texas

Tim Fitzharris / Plains Pricklypear (Opuntia polyacantha), Arches National Park, Utah

Tui De Roy / Common Cactus-Finch (Geospiza scandens) feeding on Opuntia (Opuntia sp) cactus blossom, Academy Bay, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Tui De Roy / Common Cactus-Finch (Geospiza scandens) feeding on (Opuntia sp) Common Cactus Fruit, Santa Fe Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Michio Hoshino / Galapagos Land Iguana (Conolophus subcristatus) and Prickly Pear (Opuntia sp) cactus, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Tui De Roy / Galapagos carpetweed (Sesuvium edmonstonei) and giant Opuntia (Opuntia sp.) cacti, beneath a rainbow at sunset, Plazas Island, Galapagos, South America.

Tui De Roy / Galapagos carpetweed (Sesuvium edmonstonei) and giant Opuntia (Opuntia sp.) cacti, beneath a rainbow at sunset, Plazas Island, Galapagos, South America.

Tui De Roy / Darwin's Genovesa cactus finch (Geospiza propinqua) perching on Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia sp.), Genovesa Island, Galapagos, South America.

John Cancalosi / Cactus longhorn beetle (Moneilema gigas) flightless black beetle feeding on Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia sp.) Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA.

John Cancalosi / Cholla moth (Euscirrhopterus cosyra) caterpillar eating Prickly pear (Opuntia sp.) fruit, Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA.

Jack Dykinga / Cracked skin of Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia sp.) due to the ongoing drought, Santa Cataling foothills, Arizona, USA.

John Cancalosi / Cactus bee (Diadasia rinconis), two bees collecting nectar and pollen on Prickly pear (Opuntia sp.) blossom, one bee peering out of flower, Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA.

John Cancalosi / Cactus bee (Diadasia rinconis) collecting nectar and pollen on Prickly pear (Opuntia sp.) blossom, Sonoran Desert, Arizona, UK.

Jack Dykinga / Skeleton of Saguaro cactus, (Carnegia gigantea) dead due to drought, and Prickly pear cacti (Opuntia sp), in the Ironwood National Monument, Arizona, USA, April 2021.

Jack Dykinga / Skeletonized Saguaro cactus, (Carnegia gigantea) dead due to drought, and prickly pear cacti (Opuntia sp), in the Ironwood National Monument, Arizona, USA, April 2021.

Jack Dykinga / Barrel cactus (Ferocactus wislizeni) and Prickly pear (Opuntia sp) charred by Big Horn Fire, a wildfire caused by a lightning strike on 5th June 2020 which burnt for six weeks engulfing 120,000 acres...

Jeff Foott / Mexican flag against blue sky. Coat of arms on flag depicting a Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) feeding on Rattlesnake (Crotalus sp) whilst perched on a Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia sp), Oak (Quercus...

Karine Aigner / Western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) coiled up at base of Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia sp). Texas, USA. April.

Karine Aigner / North American bobcat (Lynx rufus) juvenile amongst Prickly pear (Opuntia sp) cacti. Texas, USA. July.

Karine Aigner / Green lynx spider (Peucetia viridans) on Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia sp). Texas, USA. June.

John Cancalosi / Fishhook barrel cactus (Ferocactus wislizeni) flowering besides Prickly pear (Opuntia sp), in desert. Arizona.

Tui De Roy / Nazca booby (Sula granti), pair amongst Prickly pear (Opuntia sp) cacti at coast. Wolf Island, Galapagos. August 2016.

Tui De Roy / Nazca booby (Sula granti) chick under Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia sp) on cliff. Wolf Island, Galapagos. August 2016.

Tui De Roy / Blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) with two chicks at nest. Prickly pear (Opuntia sp) in background. Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela Island, Galapagos.

Tui De Roy / Santa Cruz lava lizard (Microlophus indefatigabilis) with large prickly pear (Opuntia sp) in the background. Santa Fe Island, Galapagos

Jeff Vanuga / Galapagos land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus) feeding on Cactus (Opuntia sp) fruit. Plazas Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.

Eladio Fernandez / Prickly pear (Opuntia sp) cactus in flower, Cayo Romano, Cuba

Jouan Rius / Legs and walking boots next to Desert Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia sp) with pink flower , Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, USA, May.

Jouan Rius / Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia sp) in flower, Saguaro National Park, Arizona, USA. April.

Cyril Ruoso / Cactus (Opuntia sp) section embedded in a cow's skin. When this section falls off it will be able to grow independently. Vizcaino Desert, Baja California, Mexico, May.

Tui De Roy / Galapagos sulphur butterfly (Phoebis sennae marcellina) feeding from Opuntia (Opuntia sp) cactus flower with endemic Carpenter bee (Xylocopa darwinii) Alcedo Volcano, Isabela Island, Galapagos, Ecuado...

LYNN M. STONE / Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) foraging near a clump of blooming Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia sp.) Honeymoon Island, Florida, USA, May. Non exclusive.

Jean E. Roche / Prickly pear cactus fruit (Opuntia sp), Ostriconi, Agriate, Corsica, France, September

Nick Upton / Girolata 17th Century Genoese watchtower with stands of Pricky pear cactus (Opuntia sp.) and Agave (Agave sp.) growing nearby within a UNESCO World Heritage site and Corsica's National Park (Parc Natu...

Tim Laman / Flowering Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa) with Cholla cactus (Opuntia sp) and other desert plants. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California, USA. March 2005

Tim Laman / Flowering Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa) with Cholla cactus (Opuntia sp) and other desert plants. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California, USA. March 2005

Patricio Robles Gil / Prickly pear cactus {Opuntia sp} covered in dew, Chihuahuan desert, Mexico

Patricio Robles Gil / Prickly pear cactus {Opuntia sp} covered in dew, Chihuahuan desert, Mexico

Juan Carlos Munoz / Prickly pear / cholla {Opuntia sp} cactus covered in cobwebs, Andalucia, Spain, December

Juan Carlos Munoz / Prickly pear / cholla {Opuntia sp} cactus covered in cobwebs, Andalucia, Spain, December