Another cactus flower

This is the yellow-flowered Notocactus magnificus. It is well named. I did photograph it last summer, but I think this year it has excelled itself. This flower is bigger than previous ones (but perhaps the flowers will continue to increase in size as the plant grows).

Interestingly, though, most cactus flowers get a little bigger each time they open (they close up at night), making it difficult to gauge when it will look its best. The flower does improve as it grows, but also gets slightly damaged with age, as it opens and closes more times. I usually find that photographing them the second time they open is optimal.