Photos: Night-blooming cereus
The once-a-year flowering of Tohono Chul Park's night-blooming cereus.
Night-blooming cereus
Shortly after 6 p.m the five buds on the night-blooming cereus named Ruby begin to open at Tohono Chul Park.
Night-blooming cereus
Before sunset, Ilya Terentiev gets his equipment lined up in anticipation of capturing a shot of the opening of a night-blooming cereus. Hundreds turned out to get pictures and glimpse of the flower.
Night-blooming cereus
A winged insect wanders around inside one of the opening flowers of a night-blooming cereus.
Night-blooming cereus
Mary Young uses her phone for photos of the early going in the once-a-year event, the night-blooming cereus at Tohono Chul Park.
Night-blooming cereus
Rick Fitzpatrick, left, and Michael Timko line up their shot of the night-blooming cereus known as Ruby, on the one night of the year many of the plants bloom, at Tohono Chul Park.
Night-blooming cereus
Photographers use an assortment of portable lights to illuminate the flowers of the night-blooming cereus.
Night-blooming cereus
The night-blooming cereus known as Ruby, this time sporting five blooms for its only flowering of the year, opens shortly after sunset at Tohono Chul Park. This year the blooms are on display for two nights, this being what director of marketing Marcia Ring called a split bloom, half of the park's more than 300 cereus plants waiting until Friday to open.
Tohono Chul Park on the northwest side said the expected mass bloom for its night-blooming cereus will happen over two days this year.
Park's "Queen of the Night" cactus have mass bloom on one night a year.