RHH's photos with the keyword: cholla garden

We left Joshua Tree National Park this morning and are now in Flagstaff, Arizona, hoping to see some of the Sedona area. We spent tree nights in Joshua Tree, did a lot of hiking in areas we had not seen before and enjoyed the warm weather and sunshine. The photo is of an area in the Tonto Basin where thousands of Teddy-bear Cholla grow, and which is known as the Cholla Garden. Tis Cholla is also known as the Jumping Cholla, since sections of the cactus very easily come loose and lodge themselves in arms and legs.

The fruits of the Jumping Cholla are edible and cattle are reported to love them, braving the spines to get at them. These were photographed at Cholla Cactus Garden in Joshua Tree National Park.

This is a flower bud of the Jumping Cholla cactus, photographed at the Cholla Cactus Garden in Joshua Tree National Park. The garden is not really a garden at all but a large area filled with these cacti.

This photo and the two insets show the flowers, a flower bud and the fruits of the Jumping Cholla Cactus, so called because the sections are easily detached and seem at times to "jump" onto one's shoes and clothes. The spines, as Jim has pointed out, can penetrate leather, so it is a very uncomfortable plant to be around.

Traveling southeast on the Pinto Basin Road in Joshua Tree National Park we came to the Cholla Cactus Garden just as we came down out of Wilson Canyon. The garden is a huge area covered with Cholla cactus, mostly Jumping Cholla. They were starting to bloom when we were there and I'll post some photos of the blooms tomorrow.

Emerging from Wilson Canyon on the Pinto Basin Road in Joshua Tree National Park we came to a huge area covered with Jumping Cholla cactus known as the Cholla Garden. This photo was taken there against the background of the Hexie Mountains.

This photo is of the Cholla Cactus Garden in Joshua Tree National Park, a huge area covered with Jumping Cholla. The view here is to the east of the Pinto Basin Road with the Pinto Mountains in the background.