_Southeastern California, Southern Utah, Southern Nevada, and Northwestern Arizona_ The California Hedgehog Cactus, or the Mojave Hedgehog, we espy first, and how could one miss seeing the scarlet bloom suffused with nopal red of this strange and beautiful Strawberry Cactus? The flaming blossoms, two or three inches long and an inch or so across, with short broad thick petals, borne singly though many grow on a single stem, remain open for several days at a time, and cause the California Hedgehog to become one of the most brilliant of the Strawberry group. The massive mounds of white-spined stems, two to six or seven inches long, often several hundred in a clump, covered with flashes of crimson flowers form a bright-colored zone which in full blossom is a splendid sight, and at a distance suggests a fire burning, with nothing to burn and sans smoke. This species is called the Desert-Afire, or Burning Cactus, or the Mojave Hedgehog as it was discovered on the Mojave Desert, and the name _Echinocereus_ or Torch Cactus was first given to it. A close cousin is the Crimson Flowered Hedgehog Cactus of northern Arizona and New Mexico and Utah. Golden Spined Strawberry Cactus (_Echinocereus chrysocentrus_) _Southeastern California, Western Arizona, and Northern Mexico_ Here in Southern California thrives the Golden Spined Albino, a foot or so in height; the two-inch stems are furrowed with a dozen or so ridges, on the sides of which appear interlocking scallops, of a yellow or medium deep greenish cast. It has golden or light yellow spines like the pale yellow or cream-colored hair of the albino, hence the common name is quite apropos. It is to the circle of eight to thirteen radial spines with their lovely golden hue that the specific title _chrysocentrus_ refers. The Golden Spined Strawberry Cactus with its pink and lavender-pink flowers is a rare and beautiful sight on the desert here before us, set in the dull tan or brown background of sand and rocks, and with scarcely a green leaf or other color now in sight. The inch-long fruit is densely spiny, covered with long, slender golden thorns, edible and sweet; it ripens in August, a month or so later than the fruit of the _Echinocereus Engelmannii_, its nearest relative. Indian Strawberry Cactus (_Echinocereus Engelmannii_) _Western Arizona, Northern Mexico, Southern Utah, Southern Nevada, and Southern California_