Late April Huntington Fisheye

Late last month some coworkers and I made another visit to Huntington Gardens in San Marino. My fellow photobug friend and I hung out in the cactus garden during most of our visit this time, which was pretty easy. Their cactus garden is amazing and filled with so many different cactus/succulents/low water requirement plants that especially in the spring can come with amazing colors. Walking through that garden is so otherworldly when you actually pay attention to the different plants and the different ways they have evolved to deal with lack of water from weird shapes, thick skins, self-grown spine cages contrasted with perfectly smooth skin.

I shot all of these photos with my Lomography Fisheye 2 camera. I got a little *too* close to some of the plants at times, but I still like the results! I like how this camera lets you really see how many layer of plants are in this gardens and how a walk thought this garden is a vacation in itself!

The accordion fold-like ribs on these cactus allow them to expand in size when there's rain so the cactus can suck up and store as much water as possible. Those thorns are protecting a precious water supply.

for plants that have so many adaptations to keep animals away, some cacti certainly spare no resources when it comes to advertising for the reproduction part of it's life.... Bats, bees & birds are big fans of various low-water plants.

such a pretty purple color on a giant pink stem contrasted against the silvery-green of the main plant!! When you're so stabby and dense, you have to shoot out a long beautiful holder for your flowers so others will actually come visit and help you out..