I’ve Got Sunflowers on a Bright Sunshiny Day
Summer has transitioned to fall, and sunflowers are still gracing many admirers with their presence.
Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are native to North America and Central America. The French word for sunflower is “tournesol.” As their name implies, sunflower discs tilt during the day to face the sun; this movement is called heliotropism. At night, the flower heads move back facing east, awaiting the sunrise. Sunflowers are annual plants that need to be sown yearly. However, there are varieties of self-seeding, coming back year after year. Unlike the more giant head sunflowers, these sunflowers clump together, displaying smaller flowers. Each flower is composed of a disc that holds many tiny flowers.
There are about 70 species of sunflowers. A few regional varieties grown are Firecracker, Big Smile, Sunflower Smiley, Sunflower Max Sunshine, Buttercream, Autumn Beauty, Gold Rush, Solar Power Sunflower, Starburst, Rouge Royale, Chocolate Sunflower, Holiday Sunflower, and Titan Sunflower. The varieties can have single or double petals and grow from two to ten feet tall. Sunflowers display in various colors, from the traditional yellow to orange, red, and white tones. Sunflowers have been utilized for hundreds of years as ornamental plants and gathered for seeds, oil, and dyes.
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Sunflowers attract beneficial insects and are popular with pollinators. Bees are especially attracted to flowers as a late seasonal food source. Black sunflower seeds are rich in nutrition for birds, and a stocked bird feeder provides hours of bird-watching entertainment.
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Nature and sunflowers inspired Vincent Van Gogh’s famous Sunflower paintings he created in Arles, France. Five large canvases were adored with sunflowers in a vase with three shades of yellow. Van Gogh shared two of the sunflower paintings with Paul Gauguin and later gave him one as a gift.
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Every year local farms hold sunflower festivals in honor of the lofty plant. Among the celebration hosts are O’Keefe Farm and Bi-Zi Farms. Several local farms offer cut sunflowers bouquets, Tillie’s Acres Farm Stand, Sprout and Blossom Farm, La Center Gardens and Family Farm, and Lee Farms. Even if you are not into sunflowers, you can view classic cars at farm events.
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The sunflower is the state flower of Kansas and the Ukrainian national flower, standing for freedom, strength, and happiness—a reminder of staying strong for the Ukrainian people.
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It’s not too late to get outside, enjoy a visit to a sunflower garden, and remember the Ukrainian people in our thoughts and prayers.
Photo credits Tammy Boyer.
