A few years ago I salvaged some cactus cuttings from a trash bin and planted them in my front yard. I’m not certain of the species, could possibly be the native Triangle Cactus (Acanthocereus tetragonus). Regardless, the columnar cactuses* added a bit of sculptural elegance to my freshly de-sodded yard.

These low maintenance plants can’t compete with all my flowering ones during the day but at night, they are radiant! The short-lived, six-inch white blooms positively glow in the moonlight. I have yet to see any fruit, which leads me to believe nocturnal pollinators (hawk-moths and bats) haven’t visited.

Maybe they will in the future, in the meantime, I’ll continue enjoying the show.

*Yes, this is the proper botanical term, not the commonly used cacti (because it is improper to Latinize a Greek word). And yes, I can be a bit of a pedant…