I Want To Be Your Teddy Bear!

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