bigelovii grows in desert regions at elevations to about in the "Low Desert" or Colorado Desert of Southern California, and in other Sonoran Desert regions of the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. In the Lower Colorado River Valley, the most dense Cylindropuntia bigelovii stands are at higher elevations, in the rockiest sites. There are fewer Sonoran Desert or Colorado Desert plant association species, but two are common though reduced in size: ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) and saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea). The teddy bear cholla is also found in a protected Cholla Cactus Garden as part of the Joshua Tree National Park among other desert plants such as the desert senna, pencil cholla, creosote bush, jojoba, and climbing milkweed Sarcostemma cynanxhoides ssp. hartweggi which can climb and cover the teddy bear cholla and may even kill it. Gallery References The Living Desert Teddy-bear Cholla – University of Arizona Pima County Cooperative Extension entry External links Cylindropuntia bigelovii photo gallery at Opuntia Web Jepson Manual Treatment of Cylindropuntia bigelovii Cylindropuntia bigelovii — UC Photo gallery bigelovii Cacti of the United States Cacti of Mexico Flora of the California desert regions Flora of the Sonoran Deserts Flora of Arizona Flora of Nevada Flora of Sonora Natural history of the Colorado Desert Natural history of the Lower Colorado River Valley North American desert flora