The Tower of Jewels plant is currently in bloom in the Kids’ Zone area at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, offering guests a chance to see one of the botanical garden’s more unusual plants at its peak.

Known scientifically as Echium pininana, the Tower of Jewels is native to the Canary Islands, where it grows along volcanic cliffs and is considered endangered in the wild. The plant has a short but dramatic life cycle. In its first year, it grows as a low rosette of leaves close to the ground. In its second year, and sometimes its third, it sends up a flower spike that can grow more than 13 feet tall.

The towering stalk is covered with thousands of blue, nectar-rich flowers that attract bees and other pollinators. After blooming, the plant dies, but not before releasing thousands of seeds that begin the cycle again.

Guests can learn more about the Tower of Jewels and the botanical garden collection inside Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium during a Botanical Garden Tour, held on the first Sunday of each month at 10 a.m. The tour is free with zoo admission and includes opportunities to learn more about the gardens and meet the zoo’s horticulture staff.