Sunflowers: Growing Toward the Sun

"Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight."  -Benjamin Franklin

Our neighbor has a lovely garden overlooking the river, and I find the sunflowers irresistible. They have such an uplifting, cheery effect on the spirit. The stem of a young sunflower tilts the flower bud to face and follow the sun as it travels across the sky from sunrise to sunset, making the sunflower a heliotropic symbol of optimism and hope. How interesting that once the sunflower blooms, it remains stationary and no longer moves to follow the sun. It's as if it has taken in enough sun energy to actually become the sun, expressing its own sun qualities through a physical resemblance - with petals that look like sun rays extending outward. I also appreciate the beautiful and highly efficient spiral pattern of the sunflower's seed head. What's not to love about sunflowers? Sending along some sunflower images from my neighbor's garden to start your week off on a bright note!

 

 

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