Flowers

Over the past few months, we noticed that our Red Bird shrubs in the courtyard were looking a little saggy and withered. This month, however, we started getting our seasonal monsoon rains — lo and behold — the shrubs have perked up and flowering like crazy.

The perking up clue led Bob to investigate the irrigation system. For some unknown reason, the station that led to the courtyard was set to “off” rather than a start time for the station to run. Hopefully, that has been corrected now.

Here is some interesting information about our red birds from Gemini:

Caesalpinia pulcherrima—most commonly known as Pride of Barbados, Red Bird of Paradise, Peacock Flower, or Dwarf Poinciana—is one of the most widely cultivated and visually striking flowering shrubs in warm-climate landscapes.

Geographic Origin & Etymology

• Origin: The exact origin of C. pulcherrima is obscured by centuries of human cultivation and trade, but it is broadly native to the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. Most botanical evidence points to Central America, Mexico, or the West Indies as its native home.
• Cultural Significance: It is the national flower of Barbados (where it is featured on the Queen’s Personal Barbadian Flag and the national coat of arms).
• Etymology:
• The genus name Caesalpinia honors Andrea Cesalpino (1524–1603), an Italian botanist, physician to Pope Clement VIII, and early plant taxonomist.
• The species epithet pulcherrima is Latin for “most beautiful” (the superlative form of pulcher).

We certainly can agree with the “most beautiful” attribute. Click on the image to enlarge.

This is my “Tom Thumb” Cactus (parodia microsperma) which is currently sporting these four lovely flowers. We just learned the name for this cactus today from Grok. The cactus variety is a native to Argentina like some of our other non-domestic cacti. Click on the image to enlarge.

08/21/2026: A new flower opened today:

One of our saguaros seems to be getting new flower buds. For as long as this cactus has been blooming, the flowers have come and gone by July. Now, there are new buds as you can see in the photo below.

Here’s a closer view of the open flower:

I asked Grok “What is the normal time of year for saguaro flowers to bloom?” The answer came back as I expected it might:

Late April through mid-June, with peak bloom typically in late May to early June.

In the Sonoran Desert (including areas around Saguaro National Park and much of southern and central Arizona), saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) flowering generally starts in the last two weeks of April. Peak flowering is usually during the last week of May through the first week of June, and blooms can continue into mid-June.

Timing is triggered by lengthening days and rising temperatures and can vary a bit by year, location, elevation, and weather. Individual flowers open at night and last less than 24 hours (remaining open into the following day).

Fruit typically ripens later (late June into early July), timed ahead of the summer monsoon rains.

So, it is quite unusual for these flowers to be opening on this one cactus. Click on either image to view enlarged.

UPDATE: August 3, 2026 – What appears to be the last of the Saguaro flowers opened this morning:

I bought this cactus at Basha’s a few weeks ago because it looked nice. It has been living on the patio since then and last week a flower bud appeared. It opened last night and produced this beautiful flower seen in the images above and below.

We weren’t sure about the cactus variety, so I uploaded the photo just above to Grok AI which said it is likely an Easter Lily Cactus.

From Grok:

It looks like an Echinopsis species, probably something like Echinopsis oxygona (Easter Lily Cactus) or a close hybrid/relative. These are popular houseplants or garden cacti known for their large, showy white (sometimes pink-tinged) flowers that often bloom at night or in the evening and last about a day.

Key matching features from the photo:

• The flower: Large, multi-petaled white bloom with a yellowish-green center and many slender petals radiating out.
• The stem/peduncle: Long, fuzzy/hairy green tube supporting the flower (a hallmark of many Echinopsis blooms).
• The body: Ribbed, globular-to-columnar green cactus with prominent areoles (the white spots where spines emerge).

Why this identification fits
Echinopsis (formerly often lumped with Trichocereus) are South American cacti common in nurseries and big-box stores like Bashas’ (a grocery chain in Arizona). They match the “night-blooming” or short-lived fragrant white flowers on woolly stems perfectly.

The flower was open this morning, and by late afternoon it had closed and the stem was slumped over. So, we will assume that this is indeed an Easter Lily Cactus. Click on either image to enlarge.

I mentioned in a previous post that it would only be a matter of time before one of the east-facing saguaro flowers opened up to reveal the interior of the bloom. We had been getting side views and not top views. Today. several of the buds were open and this east facing one was perfect for capturing the interior view of the flower. Click to view enlarged.

UPDATE 2026-06-06: More open flowers for your enjoyment. And for a couple of bees, too.

UPDATE 2026-06-07: Sunday’s Flower Pair.