A Surprise

This greeted me when I went out to get the newspaper earlier this week.

There were birds on the rosemary and up on the saguaros and perched among the palo verde branches and they all took flight when I opened the door

I was more interested in the flower which had miraculously appeared in the soap yucca overnight.  

.  I've always enjoyed the foliage.  I never imagined there would be a flower.

The bright red exterior 

peeled back over the next day,

revealing white blossoms beneath the sticky exterior.

I watched it change as I stood at the window, doing Pilates, using the desk as my barre.  The changes were slow but steady, several pieces opened up while I was doing my thing.  But then, everything stopped.  This is what it looked like 2 days later

The white is whiter and each has a stamen and pistil inside.

The red is sticky and has structural integrity.  

The fronds are sharp and pointy and I poked myself trying to get closer for a better photo so this is what we're left with - a bizarre flowering for the first time in 15 years.

The desert southwest never ceases to amaze me.