Photography

We were lucky enough to have watched these Arizona Queen of the Night flowers steadily growing on the host cactus since a few weeks ago. Tonight, I walked out to see if the buds were open yet, but they weren’t. They definitely looked as if they would open, so later, I ventured out again, well after dark, and saw them fully open. Click on the image to enlarge.

This flower opened on our big saguaro cactus out front this morning. Most of the flowers had come and gone in June, but last week we noticed a new flower bud. When I say last of the summer, I mean for this cactus, as there are others in town that will likely have more flowers to come. Maybe even this one will have more, but I doubt it.

Since the cactus is very tall, in order to see inside the flower, I had to take this shot from across the driveway with the telephoto lens. Canon SL1 settings: F8.0, ISO 100, Shutter 1/500 sec., Focal Length 300mm.

We bought this “star” or “monk’s hood” cactus at a succulent show in California about eight years ago. It cost four dollars and was in a three-inch pot at that time. It has been transplanted to larger pots and is now in an eight inch pot sitting behind the patio adjacent to the RV drive.

Two flowers opened this morning and are the first ones to open since we have had the cactus. The flowers are about four inches in diameter. There are three more flower buds on the cactus that should also open.

Astrophytum Ornatum is native to Mexico, but seems to like it here in the Arizona desert. Click on the image to enlarge.