I must admit, this is the most amazing bloom I’ve ever gotten from any of my cacti. Not only are there a lot of flowers — new flowers replacing earlier flowers — but the flowering is lasting a long time.
This morning, while I was fixing my coffee and toast, I realized there was sunshine in the dining room. For the first time in weeks, the cacti were brightly lit. I was torn. Eat my warm toast –or take pictures of flowers.
Of course I took the pictures because you can make toast any time, but sunlight on flowers is a brief moment. Later, my toast was cold but the pictures came out great. All that bright sunlight let me get some use out of my macro lens.
Macros are such weird lenses. They either do amazing, fantastic work … or they make you crazy with frustration. This was one of the good days. I used a different kinds of processing to catch both the colors and the complexity of the blooms.
Flower of the Day
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Categories: #Flowers, #gallery, #Photography, Macro
MACROS AND CLOSEUPS 
MACROS AND CLOSEUPS 
LAST PHOTOS – SEPTEMBER 2023 
LONG-LIVED ORCHIDS 
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
Toast be damned! Sorry but I couldn’t resist. Our pleasure, sorry toast!
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I can ALWAYS make new toast! Besides, cold toast isn’t all that bad.
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No, it’s never bothered me either, especially if I have hot coffee with it hehe
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And they are indeed beautiful. I believe I’d have done the same. What a thrill. Beautiful, vibrant and joyous.
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I’m loving your cactus flowers. 😀
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Thanks Cee. It’s been an entertaining challenge trying to find the best way to shoot them. They aren’t as easy as they looked to me 😀
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You have to love those Christmas Cactus. They are gorgeous. Do you think we are going to get a break in the weather?
Leslie
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I don’t know. It’s pretty cold here. No snow, though. I’m grateful for that, at least.
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What beautiful pictures of blooms! They make my poor attempts look shoddy…and I take a LOT of pictures of my flowers. Of course, I am using my phone. lol I have never gotten a Christmas Cactus to bloom, what’s the secret?
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The secret is letting it dry out COMPLETELY before watering it. Dry as a bone. Then water and let it dry again. Keep it by a window and prefer a room where people don’t turn the lights on a lot. Natural lighting helps it establish blossoms. But a phone isn’t going to get you great macros. Sometimes, even a macro lens doesn’t get you great macros 😀
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I will jot this down before I get my next Christmas Catus. Thanks!
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They are cactus and they need to get dry or they won’t set buds. They will also look kind of droopy if you are over-watering them. if they look sort of sad — it’s too much water.
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I am sometimes an over-waterer. Thanks so much!
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Beautiful captures- worth postponing the toast!
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I was glad I took the time. The sun only lasts a little while … about an hour and a bit on the east side of the house. After that, it’s just dark.
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Glorious shots – i’m glad they came back after your break! 🙂
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I had to stop watering them. That is the real key. If you keep them moist, they will not flower.
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I am glad you let your toast get cold, a wise choice
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Well, I figured I could make new toast, but if the light went away, I couldn’t bring it back 🙂
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REALLY beautiful work.
Where’s the Cactus rose?
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Somewhere in Texas I think …
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