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Teddybear or 'jumping' cholla (Opuntia bigelovii) is a striking cactus, infamous among desert hikers for its easily detached branches, which tend to attach themselves firmly into one's flesh at the slightest touch (some are convinced they leap off the plant, hence the 'jumping' name). It's especially fun to pick one up on your boot and then unknowingly drive it into the opposite calf a few steps later (a comb is a useful tool for extracting these things). Some of these evil little thorny balls can be seen on the ground in a couple of the images here. Compared to some desert plants, like creosote bush (Larrea), cholla has a fairly high water requirement and when I took these photos in the early spring of 2007, many of these interesting and characteristic cacti were dying from an extended drought. |
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