Valentine's Cactus

During a Thanksgiving visit with her parents in Amarillo, Texas, Julie went into a side yard and saw a cactus that had been uprooted and was lying on top of the soil. The cactus was one of several that her mother has had for many years which originally came from Julie's grandmother. She put the cactus in a bag and brought it home.

We planted it in a large terra cotta pot with three other items that we bought at a nursery. It took root and seemed to be doing fine. About 10 days ago I noticed a small bump forming near the top of the cactus. Over next several days it grew slighty until about three days ago when it seemed to enlarge quickly.

This morning at about 7:30 AM I noticed a slight red tint at the point of the growth. About 30 minutes later I noticed it seemed larger and told Julie it appeared to be growing as I watched it.

Indeed it was. The following photos show the progression.


Cactus blossom beginning to open at 8:30 AM. The red blossom to the left of the cactus is a bougainvilla.


Cactus blossom at 9:40 AM.


By 10:30 AM the blossom was fully open. This photo was taken at 4:30 PM.


By 6:30 PM the blossom was well on it's way to closing.