One of my favorite inhabitants of St. John's was the Turk's Cap Cactus. This cactus is native to the West Indies and is characterized by a large cylindrical cap called a cephalium. When I did a web search I found it described as "grotesque, unusual, and bizarre," but I personally would describe them as incredibly cute. If it weren't for those rows of sharp spines you might want to pick it up and give it a snuggle or punt it like a football. It is also clearly a very tenacious plant, often barely clinging to life by a withered-looking umbilical cord emerging from a dry rock bed. If I lived in St. John I would want my whole yard filled with these pot-bellied wonders. If this drought continues here in Cincinnati my wish may come true because cacti may be all that will grow in my yard.
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