I am trying to widen my photograph talents, or develop them into something bigger I guess. I have been pulling over when I see something that might look good through the lens. Practicing with framing and POVs. I took this shot in Marana, Az with my Canon Powershot SX10IS using a circular polarized filter. Please feel free to critic and give me any advise as you see fit.

The teddy-bear cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii) is a cactus native to California and Arizona (USA) and northwestern Mexico. They grow in desert regions at elevations from 30 to 1100 m (100 to 3600 ft). It is an attractive plant, having a soft appearance due to its solid mass of very formidable spines that completely cover the stems. From a distance, the stems appear soft and fuzzy, giving it the name “teddy bear”.

The teddy-bear cholla is an erect plant, standing 0.3-2 m (1-5 ft) tall with a distinct trunk. The branches are at the top of the trunk and are nearly horizontal. Lower branches typically fall off, and the trunk darkens with age. The silvery-white spines, which are actually a form of leaf, almost completely obscure the stem with a fuzzy-looking, but impenetrable, defense. The spines are 2.5 cm (1") long and are covered with a detachable, paper-like sheath.

The yellow-green flowers of this cactus emerge at the tips of the stems in May and June, and the fruits that follow usually have no viable seed. Flowers are usually 3 cm (1-3/8") in length. The fruit is 2 cm (3/4") in diameter, tuberculate, and may or may not have spines. These cacti produce few seeds, as the plant usually reproduces from dropped stems. These stems are often carried for some distance by sticking to the hair of animals. Often small “forests” of these chollas form that are largely clones of one individual.