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Coleen Perilloux Landry | all galleries >> Picture a Day >> Gallery of June 2005 > Night Blooming Cereus
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25 June 2005

Night Blooming Cereus

Houmas House_Louisiana

Unfortunately I was not around to watch these buds open between midnight and two in the morning. It opens only once, after midnight, and closes when the sun comes up. It is well worth the effort to watch it open and smell its heavenly fragrance. The bloom is similar to a lotus blossom and about the size of a big saucer.
When I was growing up we would stay up at night to watch one bloom. Can you imagine a teenager doing that today. Maybe they should; it might be a gentler world (better get off my soapbox, again.)


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Anna Yu29-Jun-2005 19:20
Lucky to have a specimen with so many flowers. Chinese people believe this plant brings good luck.
Leo Charette29-Jun-2005 18:54
Beautiful shot and composition. I don't think I've ever seen this flower before. Love how you've framed this.
Guest 29-Jun-2005 00:39
Amazing! These are so lovely. I admit that staying awake until the wee hours rarely happens for me anymore, but I think I could make it to see these beauties!
Neal Nye28-Jun-2005 00:16
My days of staying up until 2:00 are long over, but it would be worth it to see this bloom. Even at this stage it's a strange and wonderful plant.
J. Scott Coile27-Jun-2005 15:05
You can borrow my soapbox if you need another :) Nothing more pure or more healing than that connection to nature. Imagine living in this world and never experiencing the stillness just before a sunrise, the smell of Jasmine as you drive with your windows down, watching migrating ducks setting into a marsh at sunset to feed and rest or the beauty of leaves as they shed their green to expose the underlying colors before entering into winter rest.

Preach Coleen... Preach!
Monte Stevens27-Jun-2005 14:54
Great image and story, Coleen. I have no problem with you standing on any soapbox, just don't fall off.
Herb 27-Jun-2005 13:57
Lovely shot
Di27-Jun-2005 12:25
I've never seen nor heard of these before. How neat. I'd certainly stay up to watch (and smell) them bloom.
petesie27-Jun-2005 12:23
Oh, no. Keep preaching....maybe one will listen. I know I would stay up to see one open and to smell the fragrance. The detail and color is beautiful.
Karen Stuebing27-Jun-2005 09:05
They have beautiful buds. No, I can't imagine kids today being interested in watching them bloom and I agree with you. However, if someone filmed it and aired it on TV, then they'd know about it. But that would not be the same as watching it yourself in the dead of night.
Jackdad27-Jun-2005 07:30
what an amazing looking flower. I would love to see one open. I guess they are trying to get pollinated by nocturnal bugs like moths or something.
laine8227-Jun-2005 04:45
That sounds a delight Coleen. Would be worth staying up for.
JeremyGood27-Jun-2005 01:29
Very interesting. Never heard of a night blooming plant. They look sort of pod-like.
Gayle P. Clement27-Jun-2005 00:52
They still make an interesting photo. I do love smell.
Guest 26-Jun-2005 22:54
that's an aweosem looking plant
Guest 26-Jun-2005 22:46
Such an unusual-looking flower ... very pretty! :)
steve mcsweeny26-Jun-2005 22:15
Sounds like a very cool plant:) Nice image.
I agree pbase is slow:( 10 mins to post this:\
Lee Rudd26-Jun-2005 22:13
these look quite large... must be quite a sight in the middle of the night