Sunflower Fields Forever

A week or so ago I noticed a beautiful field of sunflowers on the way home from work. Last Wednesday I finally remembered to bring my camera with me and I asked Dale to stop so I could take some photos of these yellow beauties. I had to traipse my way through corn and weeds and other growing things but I think it was worth it.

I will say, though, that I was disappointed in my ability to capture the entire field. I brought my wide angle lens and wanted a shot of the rows of sunflowers but I couldn’t get close enough to get the depth of field I wanted. I am not entirely satisfied with this one but it’s the closest I got to the picture in my mind.

I am infinitely happier with the close ups, however. The clear blue sky is the perfect contrast to the flowers and I could have stayed there shooting for a good long time.

I read up a bit on sunflowers in order to write this post and I learned that even though we think of the sunflower as one huge flower, it is actually made up of hundreds of tiny flowers called florets.

The yellow petals are not petals at all but are protective leaves that cover the center of the head while it is growing and the brown center of the sunflower is a mass of hundreds of flowers, all growing individually, and from where each sunflower seed will originate. Pretty cool, I think.

I’m sure you’ve all seen sunflowers before but I think it’s hard to judge just how big they are unless you’ve stood in a field of them. These guys were taller than me by about a foot and their stems are big and sturdy.

I  love that sunflowers are just as pretty from behind as they are from the front. I think there’s just something so beautiful about the sharp points on those green edges and the way they curl around to protect the flower petals.

Even the sunflower buds are beautiful.

I love finding opportunities to photograph the things around me, especially when it’s as simple as pulling the car over on the way home from work.

 

 

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Comments (23)

  3. Sunflowers really ARE cool! Sometimes, you’ve just got to stop and smell the roses . . . or, in this case, stop and snap the sunflowers. Beautiful, Carole!

  5. There’s a field about 40 minutes from here that I photographed last year, and has become very well known. Unfortunately the crop didn’t make it this year…too much rain early on washed away seeds and then no rain after replanting left the field bare. So sad! I do love a good stand of sunflowers.

  6. One of the gardeners planted sunflowers last year in the community garden and they are now coming up everywhere. They’re beautiful, sometimes a menace, but always lovely to see. Your field must have been a buzz with bees. We often see three bees sitting in the big brown area moving slowly from floret to floret. You photos did a lovely job of capturing flowers and the field. There must be thousands of flowers!

  8. i love sunflowers. i had some in my wedding bouquet. fields of sunflowers are everywhere near where my parents live.

  9. One year I planted some of the giants in my side flowerbed and the reached the eaves of the bay window. We loved watching all the visitors they attracted, too.

    Great pictures, especially the close-ups. Thanks!

  10. Gorgeous, Carole! What road is this field on? It would be worth the drive to see it! I love sunflowers!

  13. Beautiful photos – I passed a field yesterday. I am going back with my camera when the sun comes out.

  14. the sunflower pictures are gorgeous. Have you ever seen them turn at dawn–it’s truly spectacular. I was lucky enough to see this one day in western Nebraska.

  15. They are my favorite. Years ago, a friend compared me to a sunflower and I took it as a compliment (my favorite ever, really). I *think* that’s how it was intended.

  19. I love sunflowers…but haven’t seen a field of them! thank you for sharing the photos (and the info!) – makes me feel like I drove past that field myself today!!

  20. These are gorgeous. Someone in my neighborhood has one or two sunflowers, which feels weird in this urban environment. They look much better in your photos!

  21. Beautiful flowers! I love the colors and the texture on your close-ups! I think you would have had to stand up on something high to capture the whole field. Maybe tomorrow you should bring a step-ladder along on your commute! 🙂

  22. I have volunteer flowers all over the backyard. Part of the blessing of bird feeders 🙂 . Your photos are wonderful and like the good librarian you are, you provided such interesting information. I had no idea.

  23. I love sunflowers! My grandpa use to have a huge field of them and I could have stayed there all day.

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