Sunflowers

By Pam Hadder


I don't know that you have ever had the opportunity to drive on country roads past fields of sunflowers on a hot August afternoon - it's a familiar and dear experience for me, having grown up amid agricultural abundance.

There really is nothing quite like sunflowers: tall and sturdy, their cheery faces seek and follow the sun's path from east to west across the sky each day.  It's simply wonderful to witness acres of the statuesque, bright blooms all moving in unison; their brilliant goldenrod yellow contrasting remarkably with their deep green foliage and the bright blue of the summer sky!

I've heard that the sunflower is a native North American plant, cultivated for many hundreds of years for its nutritious seeds.  Where I live - sunflower seeds are grown for human consumption, for crop seed, and for animal feed. I've also heard that there are 365 seeds in the centre of each sunflower and 52 petals on each head- mirroring the number of days and weeks in a calendar year - but I have never counted them!  I wonder if it's folklore or fact? It seems a bit sad that I have never made time to really find out more about them! Like many summer icons, I guess that I tend to take them for granted.


As we enter the last month of the short Canadian prairie summer, I am conscious of trying to appreciate each and every warm and sunny hour, and the beauty and richness of nature.  I often joke with friends and acquaintances about my need to "charge my solar cells" - so I guess I can relate to the sunflower: hopeful face raised skyward, drinking in all of the vital golden energy it can during daylight hours.


It comes as no surprise that in the early fall, when the sunflower ripe heads darken and droop, I feel a slight sense of sadness. I've driven past  pre-harvest fields many, many times - of course I know summer can't last forever, but my heart always sinks a little when I see those happy beacons transformed into sombre sentinels, heads bowed in tired acceptance; heavy with their burden of shiny black seeds. 

Something to think about when I enjoy a few sunflower seeds for a snack, or on a salad, or as nut butter - all that goodness and energy, captured from one whole summer goes into their creation: thankful for the little things that make our days a little brighter :)