Cereus

While back I photographed this Cereus. I never thought a cactus could blossom in such a beautiful way. It flowers only once a year, and sometimes every other year.

The blooming starts in the evening, peaks past midnight, and completes by morning.

There are numerous time lapse videos on Youtube, but no video does justice to the actual experience of being in the same room with the flower. I don't have a good sense of smell, so it's hard for me to describe it. However, when the petals fall by morning, the fragrance becomes leaden and morbid.

The photograph is from my only encounter with the flower, but the video comes from user 'Time Lapse and Odd sequences.'

Please share your thoughts!