About Us

Introduction

The details

Our goal is to illustrate and describe the various US cholla species. We enjoy writing about and photographing chollas and related plants. We hope you enjoy reading about them. We provide multiple, large photographs of each species to illustrate the various species and  their differences. Also, we provide original citations, written descriptions, and photographs of herbarium specimens.

Editors

Joseph Shaw, PhD ELS, Publisher

Joe is a plant scientist and medical writer. He was a tenured faculty member of the Department of Botany at Auburn University in AL. As publisher he builds the Website and organizes the content. Joe provides many of the photos and works with the  editors to get IDs correct before publishing them. Joe has traveled throughout the West to photograph and study desert plants and to consult with other scientists.

David J. Ferguson, Curator Rio Grande Botanic Garden, Albuquerque, NM, Executive Editor

Dave has many years experience exploring North and South America, observing native plants and wildlife. Dave is a much-published author and is referenced in multiple cactus-related publications. He is the curator of the botanic garden of the ABQ Biopark in Albuquerque, NM. His job for the Cholla Web is to help the publisher and the other editors establish clear and correct identifications.

Michelle Cloud-Hughes, Desert Solitaire Botany and Ecological Restoration, Senior Editor

Michelle is a botanist and restoration ecologist specializing in desert flora and ecosystems. In 2010 she started her company, Desert Solitaire Botany and Ecological Restoration, and since then has been involved in many rare plant surveys and other botanical and restoration projects throughout the southwestern U.S. Her main love is Cylindropuntia, but she is also fascinated by other southwestern genera. Michelle wrote most of the material on this site. 

Nancy Hussey, Editor for the Mojave Desert

Nancy has grown plants and studied them for many years. Nancy is an avid hiker and botanist. She has the  difficult task of keeping tabs on the Mojave Desert and its opuntiads. Nancy co-authored a description of a new species of Opuntia. Additionally, Nancy is beta tester for software and site changes.

Joselyn Fenstermacher, MSc, Editor for Big Bend, Texas

Joselyn is a botanist yet spends part of her time as an expedition guide in the Antarctic!  Her other love is the Chihuhahuan Desert. Living and studying in the Big Bend region of west Texas for over 15 years, she became acquainted with corynopuntias of that region. Her master’s thesis provided an exhaustive reexamination of the flora of the Dead Horse Mountains. She has also published an updated treatment of the club chollas of the Big Bend region including new chromosome data and keys to the species.

THE OTHER STUFF

Write to Us

Write to Us. Send us questions and comments. Maybe we can ID your cholla.

• [email protected]
• [email protected]
  (Albuquerque BioPark Botanic Garden)
• [email protected]
  (Desert Solitaire Botany and Ecological Restoration)
• [email protected]

Photographs

Photographs were taken by the editors and contributors in habitat. Where they are garden plants, such is noted.

Copyright

All rights are reserved. For purely, fully, strictly, and explicitly nonprofit use, we are happy to share in most cases; just write to us. Some photographs and text belong to others and they must be contacted individually to obtain permissions. All materials originally published prior to 1924 may be used freely.