Outdoor Monday: the amazing Agave

We've had so much fun exploring our beautiful desert land. Every time we go out we observe and learn more.

Michael has been slowly working up the nerve to climb higher and higher on this rock wall in our neighborhood.  It's quite tall, at least 15 feet at it's highest.  Look how close he is! And he's not one for heights.

Speaking of heights!  On our walks lately we've been noticing the tall stalks & flowers of the Agave plant.  This one looked to be at least 15-20 feet tall. The Agave plant is a succulent that grows everywhere here in Southern New Mexico.  I never really noticed the stalks before and wondered why.  Usually the plant looks like this with no tall stalk.

This Agave was about 6 ft tall and about as much wide.  I've since learned that the stalk and buds indicate that the plant is at the end of it's life.   The plant sends the stalk growing up the center of the plant.  It grows very quickly, sometimes a foot in a day!  The stalk and buds take all of the plants energy and nutrients making the plant base brown and whither.

This one had fallen over in a storm and we were able to really examine the flower buds at the very top of the stalk.  So beautiful! When it flowers it emits a strong smell at night that attracts bats and insects in order to pollinate.  The nectar even peaks at around 8-10 pm at night when a particular bat is feeding. It's absolutely amazing to me how nature works in concert. The bat needs food, the plant needs to pollinate and both needs are met perfectly.

After the flowers bloom and the plant is polinated the stalk falls over and the withered Agave base dies. You can see the base withering here.  The stalk and flowers seem to take all its beauty, a very dramatic and beautiful crescendo.  Then of course with the cycle of life ever continuing, new plants begin to take root.