In early March, my first sunflowers sprouted.
About a month later, broad leaves radiate from the strong foot-long central stem.
Soon, the beginnings of a flower forms.
It can take several weeks for the sunflower disc to fully develop. It then begins to unfurl its petals.
A few days later, the trademark sunflower beams.
Sunflowers are not a single flower but a dense cluster of individual minuscule flowers known as a "composite flower." Each of these tiny individual flowers produces their own single seed. Even what appear to be the petals around a sunflower are individual flowers called ray flowers. Ray flowers are sterile, and while they cannot produce seeds, these sterile flowers evolved to attract insects.
Sunflowers not only look like a cartoon version of a sun, but will also face the sun throughout the day. Known as "phototropic movement," the behavior is controlled by a growth hormone in the stem called auxin. When the stem tip receives light on one side, the concentration of auxin increases in the shaded side, causing the flower disc to tilt in the direction of the light.
As the sunflower blossoms decline, the stems begin to droop, heavy with the forming seeds.
Many insects, birds, and mammals are drawn to sunflowers. Left unprotected, wildlife can decimate sunflower seeds.
One way to protect sunflowers is to cover them with a paper bag fastened with twine. Be careful to check on the bags after a rain because the bags can tear, or if it's exceptionally wet, can encourage mold to grow. Replace bags as needed until the sunflower heads dry. Bagged sunflower heads can also be harvested and kept in a warm dry place until the seeds are ready.
Having come full circle, this cluster of sunflower seeds will be divided among my backyard chickens and seed packets to be shared with friends.
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