A rich source of nectar late in the year. In its natural habitat it is an important plant for butterflies and other insects as they go into the winter. The flowers in the picture are nearly over and the berries are beginning to swell. They will eventually be black and very decorative - but the reason it is such a successful invader in N America.

Yes, some variety of allium fistulosum... just an oversized green onion. I've got something quite similar, not quite the same shape, but about the same size and similar habit. In Japan they are commonly called 'negi', and are one of the most commonly used vegetables. We use the greens on a daily basis, mostly for flavoring miso soup, in salads or with cold noodles. As mentioned above, they are often hilled to blanch the stems. Here is a link that might be useful: https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=%E3%81%AD%E3%81%8E&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=pKEAUuDkBI6MyAH5zoC4DA&biw=1283&bih=727&sei=pqEAUsXaIamMygHXkYHoCg

Opuntias in general tend to be the fastest in terms of visible growth, and in particular this one is at the head of the class - you might want to install a hook on that pot to hang the machete from. It will take over that pot, but if you give it less-than-usual water and don't feed it that regimen will hold it back a bit. It's a great landscape plant, and in your pot/setting it looks nice, but it's a potted monster. Wash its branches first with hose water before you trim it (that slows down glochid action a little bit) will provide a less-painful pruning program. This post was edited by cactusmcharris on Mon, Feb 18, 13 at 19:35

Laurie, thank you so much! ... For the name and the link! Now I'll go read up on it. Ken, say what? I want a refund! Lol