Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo An agave ovatifolia prepares to bloom near Woodland Park Zoo's Penguin Habitat. Woodland Park Zoo is bursting with excitement over a rare bloom getting ready to take place. The plant under the spotlight is an agave ovatifolia —or whale’s tongue agave—that typically grows in Mexico and has big, grayish-blue leaves with spiky edges. Whale’s tongue agave take about 10 years to mature, and their blooms can reach from 12 to 15 feet tall creating a dazzling display. The agave blooming at the zoo can be found on the southern end of the penguin habitat where guests can get an up-close look at the towering stalk, estimated to be 10 to 12 feet tall. Agave plants thrive in arid and semiarid environments similar to the desert environments Humboldt penguins are home to in Peru and Chile. The agave blooming at the southern end of the penguin habitat is estimated to be 10 to 12 feet tall. This type of agave i