The desert floor just east of San Diego was a stark contrast this spring to the showy display of flowers during 2017’s super bloom. In March, San Diego State University researcher Lluvia ...

One of the most common and iconic plants in our desert is the cholla cactus (Cylidropuntia spp.). It’s also a plant that many people love to hate. So why am I making it my plant of the month? Our ...

Cholla plants are common throughout the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. They have a sturdy, straight trunk covered with sooty ...

If you're one of the many people who are into succulents, then you know that they are a great plant to have around. They're beautiful, they don't take up much space, and they're relatively easy to ...

Most cacti found in the deserts of California produce large, showy flowers. In fact, I would argue the contrast between impressive blossoms on an otherwise hostile-looking plant is what makes cacti so ...

Our ever-evolving palette of spring color has arrived at a new hue: red. As the season of yellow continues on some hillsides and neighborhoods cloaked with palo verde color, several kinds of cactus ...

Newcomers to the desert are having horrible accidents with cholla. One was a golfer who fell into one making a shot in the rough. Another mountain biker got flipped into major cholla and had to be ...

A Harris's antelope squirrel amongst the spines of the cholla cactus, where it painstakingly searches for cactus fruit - one of the only sources of moisture around. Whilst filming the amazing Harris’ ...