In week 7 ( http://www.pbase.com/image/35553415) I showed a Century Plant (or cactus) up close along the Peralta Trail in the Superstitions. They get their name by the formation of a bloom that only forms once in their life. Myth says that it is when they are 100 years old and hence the name Century Plant. The stalks of this cactus raise rapidly into the air and tower several 10's of feet high. When the bloom is new, they are a vivid yellow and attract all sorts of bugs for pollination purposes.

They then die and wait for a strong wind to come along and blow them over. The main plant has expended the last of its energy creating this magnificent bloom and quietly dies as well. Even in this image, you can start to see the main plant starting to wither away.

The blue sky here is a true representation of the Fall sky in Arizona after having had a light rain the day before.