Oh Happy Sunflower Days

The sun rises in a haze of low hanging white across the fields of northwest Ohio. The crickets break out in song just as the cicadas end their happy announcement that August is here. In the garden, I’ve been waiting anxiously for the sunflowers to burst into bright yellow petals surrounding black-seeded centers and oh happy day, the grand opening has begun

I love how sunflowers follow the sun throughout the day welcoming the morning light with faces turned toward the east and ending the day with heads tipped to the west as the sun dips below the horizon.

Standing quietly in the garden as the sun fades, I can almost hear an audible sigh of goodbye that emanates from the tall golden lookouts. 

The ornamental sunflowers that stand between 4 and 5 feet tall are blooming now. In my exuberance I’ve taken over a 100 photos of the only two that sprung from seeds planted in the spring.

Behind the ornamentals, thick stemmed giant sunflowers hold aloft large buds enveloped in a cloak of green.

When the time is right buds will burst into rays of sunny yellow to reveal black seeds and miniature blossoms that attract honeybees anxious to sip nectar and inadvertently rubbing against pollen until tiny saddle bags appear on the sides of legs. The bees tolerate a couple clicks of the camera, but then fly with a warning to, back off we’ve got work to do!

Finally, the large clay pot of teddy bear sunflowers shows buds developing. I’ll cut a few and put them in a container to brighten the walnut table in the dining room as soon as the shaggy heads smile up at me. 

The ultimate sun worshipper, sunflowers never kneel, but stand tall honoring the source that brings them life with heads bowed in humble gratitude and in turn offer me so much joy that I would build a house of sunflowers, place a red chair in the center and live content.

"Bring me then the plant that points to those bright Lucidities swirling up from the earth,

And life itself exhaling that central breath!

Bring me the sunflower crazed with the love of light.”

~ Eugenio Montale

I'm not quite ready to don my autumn colors.  There's still summer in the air!  Check out the free header, August Seas.