Claret cups are blooming at Bandelier National Monument including this Orange Claret Cup in direct sunlight. Claret cup cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus) is native to the desert areas of the American Southwest. It grows wild in Juniper Pinyon woodlands, creosote scrub and Joshua tree forests. The primary pollinators of the flowers of the claret cup cactus are hummingbirds because the long-tubed shape of the flowers can accommodate the hummingbirds’ long beaks and their whirring wings; and the fruit of the claret cup cactus is edible. Photo Courtesy NPS

A Red Claret Cup hides under a yucca plant. Photo Courtesy NPS