Prickly pear cactus blooms in the North Okanagan in June.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Flora Davidson
June 16, 2025 - 4:00 AM
In late spring and early summer, the grasslands in Kamloops and the Okanagan are filled with the colourful blooms of the region’s only cactus, but the blooms only last for a few days or a week.
One of the country’s few native cacti, the prickly pear cactus blooms in early June in an array of colours including yellow, orange and pink on open sites with sandy or gravely soils.
The prickly pear cactus is a remarkably resilient plant that can thrive in arid and desert regions, and survive in low-water conditions and extreme temperatures by shrivelling up and hibernating during the winter months, according to Nature Trust British Columbia.
Prickly pear cactus blooms in the North Okanagan in June.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Flora Davidson
The spines are modified leaves that minimize moisture loss and attach to passing wildlife to be deposited in new areas.
The cactus has flat, fleshy pads that store water, photosynthesize and produce flowers, which turn into small, pear-shaped fruit, according to Sierra Club BC.
Historically, Indigenous groups ate the fruit to help with incontinence, used the spines as needles and roasted the stems to be eaten as a vegetable. The fruit can be turned into a jelly.
Prickly pear cactus blooms in early June in the Ashcroft area.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Loekie Vanderwal
Prickly pear cactus is food for insects, wood rats and turtles, and because of its extensive root systems, the cactus helps to stabilize soil.
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This blooming prickly pear cactus was found in Kamloops in early June.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Jane Johnston
Prickly pear cactus blooms in Cherry Creek near Kamloops end of May.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Travis Bonner
This prickly pear bloom in the Kamloops area has an orange hue.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Bunchgrass Wild-grazed Beef
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