St. Joseph, Mo. ? In the dry deserts of the Southwest, bees, birds and bats all do their part in pollinating the cactus. Seeds spread through the wind and bellies of animals, reptiles and birds.

In St. Joseph, though, that’s not quite how it works.

These cactuses began in the mind of one local man and have spread across several yards around town. And Donald Boucher has the blueprint – and the cans – to prove it.

Eight years ago, he sat before a big table in his basement with some empty aluminum cans and an idea.

Boucher had heard about a can cactus in Phoenix, Ariz., of all places. His cousin, Stan Moore had made one there. And Moore provided directions for his cousin.

Donald Boucher poses with his aluminum can cactus outside his home in St. Joseph, Mo., last month. Boucher built the cactus eight years ago after his cousin in Arizona gave him the idea.

“He told me how many cans and how high,” Boucher says.

“That was about it,” says his wife, Sondra.

“He didn’t draw me a picture or nothing,” he says.

So Boucher was left with a picture in his head. The first one took about six hours total and required 196 clean aluminum cans, liquid nails, spray paint and wire.

“It took time,” Boucher says, “but I’m retired. I didn’t have anything else to do anymore.”

Before long, Boucher had his own can cactus on the sloping lawn beside his house and he made a few more for his daughter’s home. He figures he’s made a dozen or so total.

And after his own crafty endeavor, he fashioned a diagram to tell other people how to make the cactus.

Sure enough, strangers started stopping by and asking questions.

John Kolega, St. Joseph, uses cans to cheer on his favorite sports teams, such as the Kansas City Chiefs.

One of those people was Pete Lopez, who lives nearby. Lopez and his wife, Martha, have a few real cactuses inside and a blooming yucca outside.

Soon he had Boucher make him his own can cactus – one that didn’t need watering or trimming, just a shower of green paint every few years. And he kept a copy of the blueprint, which soon came in handy.

John Kolega, who lives up the street, knocked on Lopez’s door and walked away with the blueprint.

Today, three green cactuses are fastened to Kolega’s wooden fence, along with a few of his own creations – a red and yellow Kansas City Chiefs display, a New York Yankees symbol and, most recently, one for the St. Louis Cardinals.

The couple loves the Southwest, hence the cactuses, and the sports teams – though not everyone agrees with their favorites.

Mostly, though, Kolega and his girlfriend, Felice Berry, hear honks of approval.

“It’s kind of nice to put something up there,” Berry says. “And I’d like to see him make a flag.”

Boucher, who also made his wife a Christmas tree, doesn’t have plans to make more can art in the future. But Kolega plans on beginning holiday pieces soon.

“You could do just about anything,” he says.

And with the help of Boucher’s instructions, he’s making sure cactuses bloom and thrive in the most unlikely of places.