Race Against the Moon: The Surprise Bloom of the Queen of the Night

In the Sonoran Desert, we wait all year for one specific, magical night. It’s the evening the Night-blooming Cereus, Peniocereus greggii, decides to reveal its stunning, dinner-plate-sized flowers. This cactus, often called the Queen of the Night, is the star of Tohono Chul gardens, and I have a special connection to her. A few years ago, the park asked me to write a children’s book about this incredible plant, which became Queen of the Night: The Night-blooming Cereus.

Typically, on the long-awaited “Bloom Night,” you can find me in the Tohono Chul gift shop, signing books for fellow cereus enthusiasts. But this year, the Queen had a surprise in store for all of us.

An Early Start to the Bloom Watch

The blooming of the cereus is tied to our summer monsoon season. The park staff and a team of volunteers, the “Bloom Watchers,” keep a close eye on the buds once the rains begin. This year, however, we had a very unusual, heavy rain on June 1st, long before the monsoons were expected to arrive.

Just as the park staff predicted, the buds on the cacti began to swell. The watch was on! My husband and I have our own cereus, but it’s still too young to bloom, so we eagerly follow the updates from Tohono Chul. Based on the buds’ progress, I made my prediction: the bloom would surely happen on a Friday or Saturday night, a perfect weekend event.

I was wrong.

A Queen’s Sudden Arrival

On Monday, June 9th, an email alert landed in my inbox: TONIGHT is BLOOM NIGHT! The Queen had made her decision, and she wasn’t waiting for the weekend.

The sudden announcement meant I wouldn’t have time to gather my books and supplies to set up in the gift shop. So, my husband and I made a different plan. Instead of working the event, we would go simply as visitors and enjoy the evening. For the first time, I would get to experience Bloom Night just like everyone else.

An Evening with the Flowers

What a perfect night it was! We wandered the beautifully lit paths with hundreds of other flower lovers. The mood was festive and full of wonder. We chatted with people and admired the dozens of flowers that had opened, their white petals glowing under the light of a nearly full moon. We were even lucky enough to spot a flower that was still in the process of opening.

Of course, I had my camera with me and couldn’t resist taking photos.

I’m often asked if the flowers have a scent. While I personally don’t detect one, I’ve heard others claim they do, describing it as a light, sweet fragrance. Scent or not, their beauty is undeniable. And as always, their royal display is fleeting. By dawn, the magnificent flowers will have wilted.

It was a different experience, being out amongst the crowd instead of inside the shop, and it was absolutely magical.

You don’t have to wait until next year’s bloom to experience the wonder of this unique desert cactus. You can share the story of this special night all year long with my book, Queen of the Night. Find Queen of the Night: The Night-blooming Cereus at Tohono Chul’s Gift Shop!