Be the first to know when Arizona's showy cacti, "Queen of the Night," is ready to bloom

Arizona’s night blooming cereus, also known as the Queen of the Night, will soon be making its debut, and you can be the first to know.

The peniocereus greggii — the official name of the showy cactus — has started blooming as early as June 12 and as late as July 12 in past years.

Last year, dozens of community members went to the County’s Native Plant Nursery, 5845 N. Camino de la Tierra, to capture the blooms, but this year, volunteers planted more than 100 salvaged “queens” just north of the nursery at Pima Prickly Park, 3500 W. River Road.

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A signup to be notified by email when the night-blooming cereus are ready is now open by contacting Valerie Samoy at Valerie.Samoy@pima.gov. Community members can also monitor Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation’s Facebook page.

“I won’t know for sure until lunchtime that day,” said Jessie Byrd, manager of the Native Plant Nursery.

The viewing is free, and members of the Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society will help guests navigate the paths at the park to get to the blooms.