Looks like the Night Blooming Cereus at Tohono Chul Park are going to bloom this week. They predict on the 15th or 16th. it's $5. from 6pm-midnight. I've never made it to one, so I'm determined this year. Anyone else planning on going? I'm on an email list that notifies me which night they are blooming- they only bloom one night a year! I'll post back here when I find out what night it will be.
From Wikipedia:
Night-blooming cereus, also called Queen of the night or Reina de la noche, are names of several genera and species of nightblooming cactus. The night blooming cereus is also known as the lunar flower, moon flower and luna flower. This plant is native to the Sonoran Desert in North America. The plant grows as a thin, almost dead looking stick from a single stem in the ground. They bloom just on one or two nights of the year, typically around May 30. Beneath the ground is a large tuber, often the size of a watermelon, that was eaten by Indians and early settlers because of its nutritious content. Pack rats often eat these blossoms before morning, so catching a glimpse of them can be fleeting. They often stay open until the early morning hours, but then close up for another year.
It was a great night for cactus blooms - made me want to start my own little geggii garden here at home... Nice hanging out with Sierna and seeing JeffMac and his fam. Such a great community event! We need more things to motivate young people to get out in the desert at night, especially in the summer!
----------------------------------- Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.- Barack Obama
writelots wrote:It was a great night for cactus blooms - made me want to start my own little geggii garden here at home... Nice hanging out with Sierna and seeing JeffMac and his fam. Such a great community event! We need more things to motivate young people to get out in the desert at night, especially in the summer!
I know, I think we were the youngest ones there save for a few toddlers...