Photo: Golden Barrel Cactus

This plentiful explosion of golden barrel cacti caught my eye.  We have dozens of golden barrel cacti in our yard, as they grow well  in Arizona and the multiply.  This photo is from a botanical garden, not our yard.  They also have colorful flowers .

In checking Wikipedia for some information about them, I was surprised to read that they are endangered in the wild, even though they are extremely popular in cultivation.  They are native to Mexico.

I also read that the nickname for the plant is "mother-in-law's cushion."  My mother-in-law passed away before she would have become my mother-in-law, but I am sure Dave has never had those malevolent thoughts about my mother, although he does enjoy poking fun at her.

This week we have photos of an old cemetery and medieval ruin on the Hill of Slane, Ireland, posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.