Update: check out the latest photos from June below.

A rare botanical event is unfolding at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, and you’re invited to see it up close. Tucked within the zoo’s desert plant collection, a remarkably patient plant is finally having its moment to shine — a natural phenomenon nearly 20 years in the making.

Meet Agave parryi var. truncata, a desert-dwelling succulent that has quietly been growing for over 17 years. Now, in its grand finale, it’s sending up a colossal flowering stalk. This spectacular bloom is the plant’s one and only shot at flowering before the central rosette dies, making it a once-in-a-lifetime event for zoo guests and horticulture enthusiasts alike.

Over just the past two weeks, this living marvel has shot up over five feet, and it’s still reaching skyward. The stalk could grow up to 20 feet tall before the full display erupts in a blaze of red-orange buds and sunny yellow blossoms.

Native to the high deserts of the American Southwest and parts of Mexico, Agave parryi var. truncata is more commonly seen in arid climates and specialty gardens farther south.

“To see one bloom in the Pacific Northwest is a botanical unicorn event,” says the zoo’s lead horticulturist Bryon Jones. “It’s extremely rare to encounter one in Washington, let alone reach maturity and bloom.”

After flowering, the agave’s main rosette will die. It will, however, leave behind “pups” (clone offshoots at its base), which might bloom again… in another 20 years.

See It While You Can

The window to witness this rare bloom is narrow; the flowers are expected to burst open over the next 2–3 weeks. Spot the agave in the Desert Garden, just to the left of the main plaza when you enter the zoo.

Want to learn more about the zoo’s botanical gardens? Join a Botanical Garden Tour on the first Sunday of the month (free with admission to the zoo).