Teddy Bear Cholla

Cylindropuntia bigelovii

Safety note: Spine segments detach instantly on contact and are nearly impossible to remove without tools — the hooked spines cause serious injury; never touch.

Teddy Bear Cholla is one of the most formidable cacti in North America, its golden-white spine clusters so dense they give the plant a fluffy, teddy-bear appearance from a distance. Despite the inviting look, the spines have microscopic backward-pointing barbs that cause the segments to attach explosively to passing animals. Dense groves of Teddy Bear Cholla in the Sonoran Desert are among the most striking — and treacherous — landscapes in North America. The cholla forests of the Sonoran Desert provide critical nesting habitat for cactus wrens, curve-billed thrashers, and roadrunners.

Habitat

Rocky desert slopes, bajadas, and dry washes of the Sonoran Desert in extreme southern California and Arizona.

Diet

Flowers visited by bees; dense, protective branches provide nesting sites for cactus wrens and curve-billed thrashers.

How common

Common