My own natural red dye

When we arrived in Mesa we noticed that the prickly pear cactus in the front yard was covered with white fuzz. I googled to see what fungus was growing there. Low and behold it was not a fungus at all. Instead it is an insect and the white 'fungus' was actually a protective coating the insect spins to keep from getting eaten by birds. 

These insects also have a toxin in their body that repels other insects or birds. That toxin makes a red dye that has been used for centuries. You guessed it. The cochineal insect!!