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Magical Moment 588, "Queen of the Night"

There is a mysterious and rare flower called the Queen of the Night. It is a species of cactus that requires year round care and attention in order to be brought to it's magnificent bloom. 

If properly cared for, the Queen of the Night will live up to its name. One single night out of the year, it will slowly open, layer after layer, until fully bloomed. The flower emits a strange and glorious fragrance unlike any other. And in just a few hours, it will wilt, not to be seen again for another 364 nights.

This Queen of the Night bloomed at Thomas Edison's Greenhouse 2 nights ago. The photos were taken by my husband, Eddie, one of only two people to witness this rarity.


"A rare experience of a moment at daybreak, when something in nature seems to reveal all consciousness, cannot be explained at noon. Yet it is part of the day's unity."
-Charles Ives


"It isn't given for us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald


~~~
Related posts, from Thomas Edison's Greenhouse:


Comments

OH WOW! Its like a starburst, like fireworks!
Steve Gravano said…
Wow, the center looks a bit like an Orchid. Beautiful job Eddie!
TexWisGirl said…
what an incredible bloom! so happy eddie got to see it and take photos to share!!!
Helma said…
Ohhhhhhhh ..... what a great close-ups of this flower. Truly breathtaking.

Greetings from Holland by Helma
Anonymous said…
Amazing. One has to wonder why only on one night...
Cheryl Kohan said…
What a wonderful experience for Eddie! It's simply stunning and isn't it great that you have photos of it!
Dawn said…
What an absolutely beautiful bloom!!!!
Leonora said…
This is so amazing! I've learned something new. : )
Your husband took beautiful photos!
Busy Bee Suz said…
Holy Mackeral...that is gorgeous!!!! So nice that Eddie was able to see this first hand.
Eddie did a terrific job of capturing the images of this beautiful flower. Thanks so much for sharing it with us, your readers. Most of us will never see one in real life.
Dave King said…
It must have been a wonderful experience. The images are wonderful, so is the post.
Frank Baron said…
Gorgeous.

And my lips remain firmly sealed against making any comparison with a certain female body part.

Or maybe not sealed. Maybe pressed against.

Or something.

Oh dear. This has potential for becoming naughty. If one's mind to bend in that direction.

God forbid.

Anyway -- darn good post. Thought-poking.

I mean, thought-provoking. ;)
Deborah said…
Oh my goodness, that made me tingle, how wonderful to have seen it ... just beautiful :o)
Wow! This flower is breathtakingly beautiful....You should watermark these pics. I may steal it but if I use it, I would give you credit.
Yolanda said…
Such a beautiful photo and flower. I have never seen one so pretty. Thanks for sharing it and for inspiring me today.
Rick said…
Now THAT's worth waiting for ! What a magnificent job by Eddie to capture a magnificent bloom.

And a profound quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Joop Zand said…
Wonderful pictures Elizabeth

very nice done.

Greetings from Holland, Joop

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