Teddy Bear Cholla

Don’t let the fuzzy look fool you—this desert cactus is anything but cuddly. The teddy bear cholla is covered in sharp, barbed spines that easily detach and latch onto anything nearby, earning it the nickname “jumping cholla.” Found across the Sonoran Desert, it glows in the sun with its silvery-golden spines and blooms with small yellow-green flowers in late spring. A true desert icon—beautiful, dramatic, and best admired from a distance.