July 28, 2024

Teddy Bear Tribbles
Ajo, Arizona
2024

Teddy bear cholla is a misleading name for my favorite species of cholla cactus. They are so named because when the sun shines through them, their long spines give off the soft warm look of a cuddly teddy bear, when in fact they are quite the opposite of cuddly. This smattering of small balls of teddy bear cholla joints (which fall off the cactus and snag passersby, hence spreading the plant elsewhere in the desert) reminded me of tribbles of Star Trek fame. This, my second Star Trek reference in a week, refers to the classic episode “The Trouble With Tribbles” broadcast in the second season of the orginal Star Trek series back in 1967. Per Wikipedia, “In this comic episode, the starship Enterprise visits a space station that soon becomes overwhelmed by rapidly reproducing small furry creatures called “tribbles.”