Posted by Paul DeCesare on August 24, 2010 at 4:40 PM
We're new to the Southwest, and the house we moved into has this nice cactus out front. The other night we got a total surprise of all these huge flower blooms, REALLY neat. They only bloom at night, and after 2 or 3 nights, they wither and then they're gone. I did a quick search and couldn't find the type of cactus this is, so if anyone knows that would be much appreciated. It's pretty big, taller than me, I had to shoot at 16mm to get it all in with the sky, hence the distorted buildings.
BTW, I had to shoot this at 1am in the morning and I don't own a flash... but I discovered that the new iPhone has a really bright always-on LED light for video, so I used it to paint the cactus during the last 5 seconds of this 30-second exposure. In fact, I used it to illuminate the subject so I could frame and focus. Pretty handy!
Looks like a San Pedro, or something in the Trichocereus (Peruvian torch) family. Looks like there are few long needles so go with the San Pedro cactus.
These are fairly popular plants in the city from what I recall. Always enjoyed seeing them bloom. The flowers just last one night though and some have a really strong odor. Bats feed at them at times - if you end up being so lucky to get one of those night shots please share.
Posted by Kurt Budde on August 24, 2010 at 6:59 PM
Agree with Steven. Blooms look right for a San Pedro, or something very similar. Also of note - the San Pedro Cactus is quite hallucinogenic (Mescaline).
Posted by Jack Brauer on August 24, 2010 at 7:06 PM
I ate one of these once... didn't do much for me.
This is a cool shot... those flowers look great! Nice lighting too. In an ideal world the house wouldn't be right behind, but what can you do...
Posted by Paul DeCesare on August 25, 2010 at 1:47 AM
Yeah, I did think of that afterwards... how nice if this wasn't in my front yard. The moon was really bright so I might have gotten a neat nocturnal landscape to add to the mix. Oh well.
Anyway, thanks, all, for the info! Now I'm finding this cactus all over the web.
Steven, great info, and I do see all sorts of things plunking away at the blooms at night. If I catch a bat, I'll post it. These flowers won't be returning, they've actually bloomed a second time last night, but there are lots more buds... will have to wait for the next show.
Posted by Bill Brennan on August 25, 2010 at 10:07 AM
Your cactus is a trichocereus. Sometimes you will hear their buds referred to prior to blooming as "beavertails".
If you decide to prune the plant, you might try to grow some of the cuttings. Enjoy the beauty.
Discussion
5 repliesBTW, I had to shoot this at 1am in the morning and I don't own a flash... but I discovered that the new iPhone has a really bright always-on LED light for video, so I used it to paint the cactus during the last 5 seconds of this 30-second exposure. In fact, I used it to illuminate the subject so I could frame and focus. Pretty handy!
These are fairly popular plants in the city from what I recall. Always enjoyed seeing them bloom. The flowers just last one night though and some have a really strong odor. Bats feed at them at times - if you end up being so lucky to get one of those night shots please share.
This is a cool shot... those flowers look great! Nice lighting too. In an ideal world the house wouldn't be right behind, but what can you do...
Anyway, thanks, all, for the info! Now I'm finding this cactus all over the web.
Steven, great info, and I do see all sorts of things plunking away at the blooms at night. If I catch a bat, I'll post it. These flowers won't be returning, they've actually bloomed a second time last night, but there are lots more buds... will have to wait for the next show.
If you decide to prune the plant, you might try to grow some of the cuttings. Enjoy the beauty.
Bill Brennan