The 35-year-old Agave plant in the arid pyramid at the Muttart Conservatory bloomed for the first - and only - time in its life. Within a couple of months, it will drop its flowers and die, having completed its cycle of life.
I'd heard about the bloom through various channels, but nothing could prepare me for the sight of a 30-foot Agave "tree," let alone the fact that it grew by as much as a foot a day, and in fact had to be clipped at that height to keep it from getting burned on the lights at the top of the pyramid. I didn't expect much when I went to see it, but I was completely blown away, to say the least, to see it in person.
Created this shot from stitching 7 images using Microsoft Image Composite Editor (ICE).
The Life and Death of an Agave by me