Watch your step: The “jumping” cactus of North Dakota

People have been known to be badly injured in the desert by getting tangled up with cactus, particularly a species of cholla commonly known as “jumping cholla.” There is no cholla cactus in North Dakota, but the state does have a native cactus, commonly known as fragile prickly pear or brittle pricklypear, that could be accused of “jumping.”