Friday, July 18, 2014 at 9:41AM 
Echinopsis sp. cactus in flower at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden. [NOTE: Probably Echinopsis chiloensis (Colla)Friedrich & G.D. Rowley (Catalog No. 52.0568)].
And a close-up of some pollination activity:
Monday, July 14, 2014 at 12:01PM 
Saw a lof of fantastic plants on my recent visit to the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden. My favorite was undoubtedly the flowering Puya raimondii, the largest bromeliad species in the world. The flower stalk is over 10 m tall, it has over ten thousand flowers, and it is estimated to set from 8 to 12 million seeds. Quite a reproductive effort. [NOTE: I was pleased to learn that the seeds from which this individual was produced were collected in 1999 near La Paz, Bolivia by Dr. Jim Luteyn (retired) of the NYBG].