I had the opportunity to shoot Texas Wildflowers during a recent trip to Big Bend National Park. I’ have posted quite a few stories about this trip recently. While doing some editing I ran across this Engelmann’s Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia engelmannii var. engelmannii) and I thought it would make a good post. This image gives you a good idea how new spines are grown. I especially like the detail at the base of the spine so I added a second image to showcase that very prickly detail.
![Engelman's Prickly Pear Cactus - Big Bend NP / Cattail Falls Trail](https://tkahler.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/20150413-Cattail-Falls-Trail-Flowers-176.jpg)
![Engelman's Prickly Pear Cactus Detail](https://tkahler.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/20150413-Cattail-Falls-Trail-Flowers-176-Edit.jpg)
This image was taken with my Canon EOS 5D Mark III using my EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens. The camera was set on Manual mode with the aperture set at f/14, shutter speed at 1/160 and ISO at 100. I used my Canon MT-24 Twin Flash to light the subject. Post-processing was done in Lightroom only.
Click on the images to get a better look at a higher-resolution version. Also, you can access the portfolio for this post by clicking here. Please use the section below to post your comments, questions or suggestions.