We’ve been walking at the Desert Botanical Gardens, but let’s take a moment to look in our own garden. A year ago, the flowers of the torch cactus welcomed us to Arizona with three different rounds of flowers. Now it’s blooming again. My parents have an enormous one with huge flowers. Ours is small, but also beautiful. Torch cactus come in a variety of colors, which you can see if you click here.
The one on the right will likely be full-blown tomorrow morning. It makes every day an adventure. Until they bloom, the flowers have a rather sci-fi look.
Bees love flowers and this bee was having a good time. But when I tried to get close for a better shot, it would go just inside, then zoom away. This was the best I could do. You can see him at the bottom right, looking a little fuzzy, but then bees are. Just FYI, his antennae aren’t curly, those are dark lines in the flower. It would look pretty cool, though, if they were.
also for Cee’s Flower of the Day
This, that and the other thing 
I always think it is a miracle to see a cactus with flowers…the only cacti-thing what got flowers in our house was a carrion flower and that was a special event LOL
Ha! I think that plant needs a name change. 🙂
They are just simply fabulous! Well, not so simply, really 🙂 🙂
They really are. :-
I’ve visited Arizona a couple of times but it’s been years and well before I became immersed in gardening so those gorgeous blooms adopt such a prickly plant is pretty darn amazing. Love the bee!
I tried to hold the phone over so I could get a better shot but no cooperation!! I’ll have to take that up with the bee society. 🙂
So very beautiful!
Somehow this ended up in spam, but you’re out and free now! Glad you enjoyed the flower. 🙂
Oh my! Thanks for bailing me out!
Of course.
Gorgeous – simply gorgeous.
Makes going into the backyard a real treat.
What a beautiful flower. I can see why the bee was attracted. Happy little guy 🙂
I don’t think bees care about looks, but there a certain something here that it loved. 🙂
So gorgeous!
Thanks, Aletta. 🙂
It’s beautiful! I think the year went by fast.
Seriously! How can a year where you can’t do much and the high point is getting two shots go by so fast??? 🙂
I know right! 😀
Gorgeous. The colors are amazing. Your photos do them justice.
Thanks so much, Ally. I would hate it if I didn’t make them look as beautiful as they are.
Beautiful flowers.
I love having them in the backyard, even though they don’t last long.
I saw these absolutely wonderful photos earlier today. Thanks so much for adding to FOTD 😀
My pleasure, Cee. Thanks for hostessing.
Lovely pink cactus flowers. The close-up shot is incredible!!
Thanks, Amy. I have so many shots of the inside and outside of these flowers. 🙂 But they’re just so interesting!
Beautifully captured, Janet!
Truly breathtakingly beautiful. Almost unreal and out of this world gorgeous. Cheers Janet, Virginia
Good morning, Virginia. Nice to hear from you. I hope your week’s off to a good start. Every day I look out to see how the flowers are doing. They only last a day or two, so I have to enjoy the beauty while I can.
Amazing how gorgeous cacti flowers can be. I’m always impressed. They are like beauty and the beast!
Good comparison, Resa.