Today is National Sunflower Day. Sunflowers are said to be a symbol of adoration, loyalty, and longevity and I love them. Their bright yellow color is a sign of happiness, friendship, and intelligence. National Sunflower Day is held each year on the first Saturday in August and reminds us to show our inner sunshine.
These big, beautiful flowers have been around since about 1000 BC. Native Americans used sunflowers as a food source, oil, paint, textile, and during ceremonies. Interestingly, some archaeologists believe sunflowers may have been cultivated before corn. Today, they are still being used as a source of food, as well as for oils, and beauty treatments. The U.S. is a massive producer of sunflowers. It is a major crop in both North and South Dakota. In 2022, North Dakota produced 762 billion pounds of sunflowers! With the average height of a sunflower being five to six feet tall, a sunflower head can grow bigger than a human head. As the weight of the sunflower head becomes heavy, it begins to fall forward causing the petals to fall off. After the petals fall off and the heads freeze, harvest begins on the sunflower. On average, one sunflower can produce up to 2,000 sunflower seeds per head. Wow! I had no idea! During early mornings, sunflowers can be seen in a sort of sleep position with the head slightly bent downwards. However, as the sun begins to shine, they slowly find the bright sun. They tend to face east. August is considered the peak season for seeing blooming sunflowers.
As I said, I love them and here's what happened to me today. I was coming home driving down my street and came upon a yard sale just one block up. So I parked my car at home and walked up to check it out. They were very friendly and had huge beautiful sunflowers growing all along one side of their yard. I admired them and they ended up cutting me some to take with me.....on Sunflower Day!
Here they are. Aren't they so pretty.
How nice of them to give you some sunflowers! I am so excited in our garden at home. All of the sudden we have a sunflower growing!!! Who knows how it got in there, so happy it landed in our garden! Just adds to the beauty!!! Love sunflowers!
ReplyDeleteWish that would happen to me. 😔
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