Century plant

That is what people call the various types of agaves here in the desert, because they bloom only "once in a century". They really bloom once in about 10 years, which is right on track as we have lived here 8 years and the plant must have been at least a year old when I bought it.

It stands outside the kitchen window and surprised me this morning with the impressive beginnings of a stalk. It will shoot up a couple of inches a day now and finally display some beautiful flowers that will be visited by a lot of insects and the hummingbirds, and then the plant dies. Sad, but true. To ensure survival of the species, it does have a "pup" at the base, so I will do my best to keep the young plant happy. I like that plant in that location. I will post the progress.

First prickly pear blooms.