Harvesting Cochineal from Cactus

While we were in San Antonio a couple of weeks ago I harvested a bunch of cochineal (little red bugs that feed off the cactus and live in fuzzy white mounds) to dry for a beautiful natural red dye. I also brought home one of the fallen paddles to root and grow my own crop of cochineal for next year.

#outdoors #nature #food #night #monday #tree #garden #leaf #fruit #flower #desktop #closeup #floral #season #blooming #growth #flora #august #no-person