It seems summer is the time it chooses to open, whether we keep it indoors (usually) or take it out to the back porch (this year). The last four times it's bloomed have been: 8-5-09, 9-4-15, 7-29-16 and 9/8/17. Perhaps I missed something in that six year gap. But I remember Mom telling me that blooms were rare. That doesn't seem to be the case of late.
July 20, 2018 - 1:19 am
Tom and I had talked about getting up to see it fully open. Tom got up to use the bathroom about 1:15 am and I suggested we turn off the security system and step out onto the back porch. The picture above was what we were met with.
By the way, the sky was phenomenal, too. Venus was in the west, brilliantly lightning that sector of the sky. And to our south was Jupiter and just above it, Arcturus. Both were behind a wisp of cirrus clouds, lit from above by the moon. I don't think I've eve seen a more enchanting sky.
Leading up to the Cereus bloom I took these shots:
July 8, 2018
Tom first discovered the bud on July 5. It took me a few days to remember to take a picture. By then it had grown quite a bit. Initially there were two buds but one dropped off.
July 19, 2018 - 8:08 pm
When the pink strands begin to unwrap, the flower is set to bloom as soon as it gets dark out. This is the last stage one sees before flowering/
July 19, 2018 - 10:06 pm
I remember some years the flower has an incredible sweet scent, one that is so strong it carries through the closed door of the porch into the house. In recent years the scent has become very subtle. The flower, however, has not.
I remember Mom and I enjoying the flower last September and I feared then that it would be the last time we'd share it together. It turns out she had just six weeks to live. My consolation this year was being able to enjoy it with Tom.
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