Cavorting Cacti

I was out in the garden today, and I saw that the cacti are involved in a very elegant dance together.

I saw the prickly pear leaning in to ask the young tree cholla cactus if he could have the next dance. See how he asks with such a debonair nod in her direction.
I can understand the Prickly Pear's interest because most certainly the tree cholla was looking very willowy and beautiful. When I gaze at her, I want to join in the dance too. She is also very clever, because her original stem leaned quite dramatically to the left, so to compensate she has put out all her new growth to the right. Isn't she gracious? However, gallant as is his request, her reply to the Prickly Pear is a polite decline today. She is already engaged in the current dance with the Bamboo Muhli.The Bamboo Muhli grasps her spiny arms with the most delicate, green, lacy fronds. Of course Cholla said yes to the Muhli!
Prickly Pear is a good sport and bides his time. "I'll just do my impersonation of an elephant while I wait," he says.

The dance in the miniature zen garden is nothing if not charming and refined. As I walked and watched, I realized that just as with people, plants have very different ideas about what type of dance they prefer:
Umm. All I can say about this dance is it must be a Rave. Hey! Who's in charge here!!