Helianthus or Sunflower is a genus of plants comprising about 70 species. There are only three species in South America. All of the remaining species of the Helianthus species are native to North America.
The Sunflower, whose round flower heads, in combination with the ligules, look like the sun. This and other species are cultivated in temperate regions, and some tropical regions, as food crops for humans, cattle, and poultry, and as ornamental plants.
Sunflowers are tall annual or perennial plants that can grow to a height of 120 inches or more. They bear one or more wide flower heads with bright yellow ray florets at the outside and yellow or maroon disc florets inside.
During growth, Sunflowers tilt during the day to face the sun, but stop once they begin blooming. This tracking of the sun in young Sunflower heads is called heliotropism. By the time they are mature, Sunflowers generally face east. The rough and hairy stem is branched in the upper part in wild plants, but is usually unbranched in domesticated cultivars. The leaves are surrated and and often sticky. The lower leaves are typically heart-shaped.
Eastern European countries, such as the Ukraine and Russia, are the top Sunflower producers in the world. They contribute half of the Sunflower seed production globally.
In 2016, Batey Farms had planted an entire field of Sunflowers, which brought throngs of visitors to their farm for photo ops. It was a hugely popular spot that year.
In 2017, I captured these images at Batey Farms in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Batey only planted about 12-15 short rows of Sunflowers last year, and didn't plant any this year, due to over saturated conditions.
Being a huge Sunflower fan, I wanted to put up a post showing all of the best images I could ream from my archives. Last year's Sunflower shoot came up in spades, as all of my favorites came from last year. What is your favorite Sunflower image? Mine is the second image. I love how perfectly the Sun illuminated the Sunflower. I hope you enjoyed this look back. I haven't been able to find any Sunflowers to photograph this Summer. Perhaps Batey will plant another crop next year. Have a wonderful weekend all. Relax, be safe and stay cool as Summer's heat is still upon us. ENJOY!
Linking to Home Link Party
