Hunting Hedgehogs

Mary turned me on to the botanical splendor of hedgehog cacti. Last year, I hiked a few miles in the Cactus Forest area of Saguaro National Park (East) to photograph a bunch of them for her (since she'd be unable to do the hike). It was mid-April, probably a little late to catch the best show, but there were still many good ones in shadier areas. It was thick with the suckers, every few steps brought a new one into view. Below is a montage of the shots I took, click it for a larger version (3.7 MB).

But first, an image of a rattler that I very nearly stepped on during the hike!