Lloyd's Mariposa Cactus Greeting Card - Juliet Whitsett

“Lloyd's Mariposa Cactus (Sclerocactus mariposensis)" is a threatened plant and part of the Threatened Texas series and is an original artwork by me, Juliet Whitsett. To create this image I sampled colors from images of threatened species and created original art inspired by the unique limited palette.

SPECIES INFORMATION PROVIDED BY: Carolyn Whiting, PhD Botanist

"It takes a trained eye to distinguish Lloyd’s mariposa cacti from the many other small golf ball sized cacti in west Texas, but one of the key characteristics to look for is the high density of spines that almost completely hide the green stem underneath. The spines not only protect the cactus from desperate predators but they also shade the plant from the relentless sunshine of the Chihuahuan desert. (Yes, even plants can have too much sun.) Much of the species’ range is protected in Big Bend National Park, but habitat destruction is an ever-increasing threat."

5" x 5"