Agave flower spike - watercolour on paper

There are some agaves growing in a clump outside our front gate. Under cover of darkness I cut the smallest spike to paint.

The flowers are full of nectar - it spilt all over the kitchen table - no wonder birds love them. they smell a bit odd - yeasty, beery even a hint of old socks.

And they're not all green either - the stamens are a dark plum withering to a rich brown when they die.