Gymnocalycium stellatum

I took this photo a couple days ago. I got up this morning expecting this flower to be open today, but instead it was GONE. Not wilted. Just gone. I looked everywhere for it, hoping to do an autopsy and hopefully maybe still use it to pollinate another Gymno flower, but there was no trace of it. Something must have carried it off. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Very disappointing. I guess at least I know what color it is, tho..? 😔

Excellent #ottoman with or without the flower. I wonder if some pollinator or other got his head jammed in it and flew away with a goofy-looking flower hat...

@beatnikcrab That's terribly sad 😥 Hopefully it will flower again soon for you 🙏

Awww, disappointing 🙁🌞

That sucks. Could have been a squirrel. I caught some eating one of my cactus flowers among others regular flowers. Never mind they buried tons of acorns this year. Must be like desert to them. 🙃

@Dragon_Warrior @sunlovin @emch thanks for the support in my time of mourning! 😂 Hahaha, that would have been hilarious, although all of the pollinators here are pretty small. Hummingbird, maybe? 🤣

@philstalder I don't have squirrels, but it could have been a rat. Nothing else was disturbed, though, so I was thinking it could have been one of those jerk thrasher birds. They decide to get into my plants and wreck things occasionally. They've massacred, uprooted, and carried off some of my plants in the past. 😒

I know, it’s weird. I bought a bag of cheap topsoil to make a berm to keep water from seeping to my oak tree that’s dying from too much water. Went out today and it was dig up and almost gone. From what and why is my question. Dang critters. And coyotes are rampant here lately too. Along with opossums, raccoons, feral cats, tons of birds, gophers and everything else. It’s a wonder we can grow anything. 🧐

@philstalder jeez, so much wildlife! I had ONE bunny loose in my yard for a while and he did a ton of damage. 😬 I can't even imagine a whole menagerie of wildlife ravaging my stuff! I had a friend who lived nearer the outskirts of civilization, and she couldn't plant anything nice in her front yard bc of the javelina and the rabbits.

So true. But hey at least we don’t have javelenas here. Lol 😂

@gjones it was a bummer, but it's not the first time it's happened, nor the worst thing that could've happened. 😉

Bunch of gymnos! Gymnocalycium stellatum ssp occultum in front, freshly potted, baldianum in the middle, and saglionis in back. The scale is deceiving bc of perspective, but there's a ton of size difference between them! Hoping for some nice blooms and lots of seeds this spring! 🤞🤩

You do have a bunch

@docthrill gymnos are my faves! I can't resist them. ❤️❤️❤️