When people envision the Big Bend region of West Texas, they often think of the expansive views—desert basins, rocky canyons, and stark mountains on the horizon. But when stepping into those dreamy vistas in real life, it’s advisable to watch your feet. Otherwise, you might get poked.
Cacti, agaves, and yuccas armed with every manner of spine, claw, and thorn carpet much of the Chihuahuan Desert. These hardy plants thrive in a rocky landscape of arid soils that gets an average of only about 12 inches of rain per year. Once a person makes peace with their prickly threat, these spiky plants may actually outshine the views, especially when cacti blossoms explode in bright colors in the spring or after rainstorms.
“Cacti are absolutely amazing,” says Michael Eason, a botanist who wrote the 2018 guidebook Wildflowers of Texas. “They’re so adaptable, and then there’s their morphology. They’re very charismatic plants.”
Texas is home to 136 different kinds of cacti, and about 80% of those are found in the Trans-Pecos region, which encompasses Texas west of the Pecos River. This diversity makes the Trans-Pecos one of the richest cactus habitats in the country.
A. Michael Powell, professor emeritus of biology at Sul Ross State University, attributes the diversity to the varied topography. “Look at the mountains, the exposed soil types, the desert—there are many different habitats here,” says Powell, co-author of the 2004 landmark volume . “Look at the Marathon Basin, for example. There are probably seven rare species of cacti in that little region alone. There are situations like that all over the Trans-Pecos.”
