Can I please be your Teddy Bear?
The Teddy Bear cholla of the Sonoran Desert, that is!
The
Teddy Bear cholla (
Cylindropuntia bigelovii) is a cactus native to California and Arizona (USA) and northwestern Mexico.
It's an attractive plant, having a soft appearance due to its solid mass of
very formidable spines that completely cover the stems. From a distance,
the stems appear soft and fuzzy, giving it the name "teddy bear."
Like its cousin the jumping cholla, the stems of this cactus detach easily
and the ground around a mature plant is often littered with scattered cholla
balls and small plants starting where these balls have rooted.
Desert pack rats such as the Desert Woodrat gather these balls around their
burrows, creating a defense against predators.
April 9, 2009