Well, it's actually just an unnamed slope along Potrero Rd. in the Santa Monica mountains. The thicket took me by surprise; I knew that coastal California had its fair share of cacti, but this slope was just packed with them, just like in parts of the inland deserts. The species is Coastal Prickly Pear (Opuntia Littoralis), probably with some friends mixed in. While the place may look dry and desert-like, this is mostly owing to being on a south facing slope in rather well drained soil. Nearby locations are covered in the typical California chaparral and are quite verdant even in the drier parts of the year. This slope might have had more cover at one point, but successive burnings and invasive species might have overly-stressed the native stuff. Cacti, though, are a hardy bunch, and seemed to be thriving.
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