It's for the protection

Mammillarias are weird. I like weird.
They will bloom in the strangest times of the year. Most other cacti have their blooming season, which is spring or early summer in most cases. Then they grow, then they go to sleep and and in spring bloom again. All quite predictable.

But the few plants (not all, just a few little rebels) do not follow any schedule. Sure, they will have more blooms in springtime. But then, out of the blue they will open another flower.... and another.
December? Lets bloom again!

I showed one of those not so long ago in this post and here is another one that bloomed in the same time. I have no name for this one though.





See all the fluffier spots around the center? That's where the flowers buds form. All nicely protected until thy are ready to show. And after that the flower is still surrounded by spines and they will stay on the same level. Smart!





Cute little flowers, but quite typical for Mammillarias.
There are types with larger blooms. But those small, dark pink ones are the most common.

And this is what I like the most in this plant - the spines! Dense, short surrounded by fluff with their very dark, sharp tips.

It is a nice little ball :)

My other blooming cacti:

Chamaecereus hybrid	Sulcorebutia Canigueralii	Mammillaria camptotricha	Mammillaria Glassii
Gymnocalycium baldianum	Mediolobivia mudanensis	Lobivia Arachnacantha	Rebutia hybrid
Mammillaria Bombycina	Mammillaria Gracilis Snowcap	Mammillaria haageana	Mammillaria backebergiana
Chamaecereus silvestrii	Mammillaria prolifera	Rebutia Fabrisii var. Aureiflora	Lobivia Wrightiana
Aylostera Flavistyla FR756	Parodia concinna	Mammillaria Copper King	Gymnocalycium Bruchii
Mammillaria backebergiana	Gymnocalycium damsii	Echinopsis subdenudata	Rhipsalis pilocarpa
Mammillaria Prolifera	Lobivia arachnacantha v. vallegrandensis	Mediolobivia atrovirens	Mammillaria magnimamma
Sulcorebutia langerii	Sulcorebutia frankiana	Chamaelobivia no ID	Rebutia Albiflora
Mediolobivia atrovirens var. ritteri	Gymnocalycium damsii var. tucavocense	Notocactus Ottonis	Gymnocalycium Friedrichii
Turbinicarpus Viereckii	Rebutia neocumingii	Notocactus Rubrigemmatus	Lobivia no ID
Sulcorebutia albissima	Lobivia arachnacantha II	Notocactus mueller-melchersii	Mammillaria Prolifera
Aylostera heliosa var. condorensis	Frailea pumila	Lobivia arachnacantha	Lobivia no ID