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I am always mesmerized by the giant beautiful sunflowers that take over gardens around the city. I grow several sunflowers from seed and they always make me smile. With their towering stature and vibrant yellow hues, sunflowers are a symbol of positivity and joy. Their faces, always turned towards the sun, seem to embody the idea of seeking out the bright side of life. Let’s learn more about sunflowers as they reach maturity and are harvested.
Sunflower and Symbolism
The sun represents the act of making someone smile. The sun’s warmth reflects the happiness received by those who are smiled at.
Just like a field of sunflowers brightens a landscape, people who smile have the power to uplift those around them.
A smile is a universal language, understood by all, and it has the power to:
- Spark joy in others
- Lift someone’s spirits
- Create a sense of connection
- More Than Meets the Eye
Thousands of Tiny Flowers
OK, I had to use Google to look it up. 🌻 Sunflowers are made up of thousands of tiny flowers. What appears to be a single large flower head is a cluster of hundreds, even thousands, of tiny flowers! The bright yellow petals around the outside edge are called ray florets and are infertile. Their main function is to attract pollinators. The central disc florets are fertile and mature into the sunflower seeds we know and love. Two weeks ago, I took down my full-grown sunflowers and harvested the seeds. I roasted them in the oven to make a nutritional snack and the remainder was given to the birds visiting our birdfeeder.
Sun Worshippers
Young sunflowers exhibit a behaviour called heliotropism, which means they turn their heads to follow the sun’s movement across the sky throughout the day. Rooted in ancient Greek, “helio” refers to the sun and “tropism” means a turning or movement of a living organism toward or away from an external stimulus i.e. light. This helps them maximize sunlight exposure for growth. As they mature, their stems stiffen, and the heads remain facing east. I have seen this firsthand with my sunflowers growing in the backyard.
Reaching for the sky
Sunflowers are renowned for their height, with some varieties reaching up to an impressive 12 feet (3.6 meters) tall! The world record for the tallest sunflower belongs to a behemoth grown in the Netherlands that reached a staggering 30 feet and 1 inch! Sunflowers are fast growers! Under ideal conditions, young sunflower plants can grow several inches per day. Two of my sunflowers reached over 7 feet high.
A Symbol of Hope
Sunflowers are a testament to the beauty and resilience of nature. Their cheerful appearance and ability to thrive in various conditions make them a symbol of hope and optimism. In challenging times, let us embrace the spirit of the sunflower and spread smiles and warmth to those around us.
