Agave americana up close and personal

Here are some shots I got after my flower stalk had been felled to the ground by strong winds the other night. Towards the bottom of the stem, the flowers were dying, while higher up the buds had not yet opened. I picked some of the ones in the middle, where at least some of the stamens and styles had emerged from the buds. Although I'm disappointed that my flower collapsed, it has given me the opportunity to see the flower parts close up. In situ, I needed binoculars.
In my main image the stamens can be seen opening up to shed pollen, and there is a style with the stigma on the end visible in the upper part of the image. The flowers have been hugely attractive to bees and bellbirds. The bees swarm around the flowers every now they are on the ground. Some I picked and took indoors. They have shed vast quantities of nectar. This is what will have been attracting the birds. There are other pictures in extras. It is just possible to see part of the fallen stem behind the other large succulent in the centre of the image.