another desert mystery

Having never lived in a desert before there are many native things that I have never seen before either. There were those "pigs", as we are lovingly calling them, in our yard and have since had them run across the road while driving(now the yellow warning signs make sense). The soaring saguaro cactus are pretty amazing and although I have seen an owl before, seeing them so close was pretty exciting. We have spotted a couple other things that at this point I have not been able to capture with the camera, so... I won't share what was seen in the hopes that I can bring you a report later on. All the new plants are interesting to look at and we have learned that February is the month that the desert blooms. So, we are starting to see blossoms on many of the cactus. I'm happy to bring this report to those of you that, like me, are not accustomed to these plants. I'm finding it interesting to take a picture and then try to find out what it is.

Like this unusual thing I spotted the other day. It looked like a giant asparagus to me.

So I googled my question. "What kind of cactus looks like a giant asparagus?" I know..I really stretched myself on that one. But it worked. And now I am a little smarter for it.

Agave or Century Plant

Agave comes from the Greek word agavos, meaning noble or admirable. There is archeological evidence that humans have used agaves for at least 9,ooo years, baking the leaves in pits for food and using the fibers and stalks to make everything from rope to clothing to weapons.

quick facts:

It is often called the century plant because it was thought to bloom only once in 100 years. That is an exaggeration, it does only bloom once in it's lifetime, but usually between 7 and 20 years.

Bloom spikes can reach up to 40 feet high.

One of the best known uses for agave is the production of ...wait for it...Tequila.

So, the photos that I took are the spikes before the flower blooms. I might just have to pay attention and get another picture when it is flowering. Now, does anyone wonder if the asparagus plant is related to the agave?