#523 Prickly Pear #523
by William Lum
Title
#523 Prickly Pear #523
Artist
William Lum
Medium
Painting - Watercolor
Description
This is my watercolor painting of a Prickly Pear I saw at the Center for Land-based Learning in Woodland, California. The visit was hosted by the Yolo Art-Ag organization. Prickly pear is a member of the cactus (Cactaceae) plant family native to the Western Hemisphere. It can grow up to 18 feet high and produces yellow, red or purple flowers and bright pink/red, spiky fruits. This cactus goes by several names, including tuna, sabra, nopal and paddle cactus. “Tuna” and “pears” describe the spiky fruits themselves, while the cactus’s branches are known as pads or nopales. It is a staple food item in Mexico.
Prickly Pear was imported into Australia in the 18th century for gardens, natural agricultural fencing and in an attempt to establish a cochineal dye industry. They quickly became a widespread invasive weed, eventually converting 101,000 sq mi of farming land into an impenetrable jungle of prickly pear, in places 20 ft high. Scores of farmers were driven off their land by the "green hell" and abandoned homes were crushed by cactus growth, which advanced at a rate of 1,000,000 acres per year. In 1919, the Australian federal government worked with state governments to eradicate the weed. Early attempts at mechanical removal and poisonous chemicals failed, so in a last resort, biological control was attempted. The moth Cactoblastis cactorum, from South America, whose larvae eat prickly pear, was introduced in 1925 and rapidly reduced the cactus population.
This 12” X 16” watercolor was done on Fluid 100, 140 lb, cold press paper.
Uploaded
January 15th, 2021
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