Special Edition: Baja #3 - Rainbow Cacti

I've been keeping you waiting. My apologies for that; as an offering, today I offer two photos for your viewing pleasure. 

This organ pipe cactus (I think) seems to have been growing in soil laced with LSD, but that's actually not the case. Well, it could be, I suppose, but what really is going on here is, I think, just a sign of stress to the plant. In an environment that reaches scalding heats with salty soil, is that any wonder?

Rainbow Cactus #1, Baja, 2012.

The cardon cactus, below (nope, it's not a saguaro), is an awesome plant: pollinated by bats; largest cactus in the world; some probably are 3,000 years old; named by botanist Cyrus Pringle... what more could one ask for? Oh -- maybe if it were also multicolored? Sure, can do. I wonder who, what, when, where, why someone went through the effort to paint this thing. I guess I know the where. Any insight to the other four Ws is more than welcome. 

Rainbow Cactus #2, Baja, 2012.