The mighty sunflower is the state flower of Kansas. This magnificent flower is actually numerous flowers located in a single "flower head".
Most of our sunflower farms are out in western Kansas, distant from population centers. However, the Grinter Sunflower farm is located just about 11 miles northeast of our storefront, an easy drive for those of us in Lawrence and the Kansas City metro. As a result, thousands of people annually descend upon the rolling hills of this farm to bask in the beauty of thousands upon thousands of sunflowers, usually just after Labor Day.
Photographers plan their trips to maximize the "golden hour" of sunrise or sunset. However, with this natural beauty it is hard to take a bad picture at any time of day.
The Grinter's store, located on site, sells baked goods and related products. The sunflower blooms don't last long. They are at their peak right now, and it is well worth the drive.
Heliotropism means that a plant will follow the position of the sun as the day progresses. It is commonly thought that sunflowers turn to follow the sun. It is a cool idea, but sunflowers only do that when quite young when the flower head is relatively light.
Once it grows and puts on weight the flowers almost always only face east and no longer follow the sun.
The sunflower is native to North America. The current versions are the result of the breeding skills of Native Americans dating back 4,000 to 5,000 years. Without intervention by humans sunflowers grew on multiple branches of a smaller plant. Most importantly, those seeds were smaller. Through domestication, an unbranched plant was developed with a giant single flower head filled with larger oil-rich seeds. It became a good crop.
Uses for sunflowers include: snack food, bird feed, cattle feed, oil and a host of industrial uses. Though its origins are here and the sunflower is synonymous with Kansas, currently Russia and Ukraine account for the bulk of production of sunflower seeds.
Take a walk with Birkenstock.
Photo Credit: Amber Harden
