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| Fields of Sunflowers |
Each year during the month of July, I anxiously wait for the sunflower fields to bloom. Several years ago I discovered some sunflower fields in the Missouri river bottom land about 10 miles from my house. My granddaughters were visiting and I took them to the fields to take some photographs. I wrote this article telling about my experience in photographing the sunflowers. Photographing Sunflowers
Before they Bloom
In reading about sunflowers I have found that there are actually five stages in the life of the sunflower. Three of those stages take place before they bloom.
1. The first stage, the germination stage, takes places when the seeds are planted. This stages takes about eight days. After the seeds are planted the roots develop and seep into the ground and then a shoot will start peaking out of the ground in search of sunlight that it needs to grow.
2. The second stage is called the vegetative phase. During the first 13 days after the seedling starts its growth toward the sun it is in the vegetative emergence stage. Then the first leaf comes and it is now in stage 1 of the vegetative phase, a second leaf comes and it is now in stage 2, this keeps on as more leaves are added to the stalk.
3. The third stage is called the reproduction phase. In this stage a bud will form between the cluster of leaves. It will initially be star like in appearance but in time will grow into the tall beautiful plants with bright yellow flowers that we know so well. This whole stage takes about 30 days. In our area I know that this stage should be coming to an end in mid to late July. This year I was out with friends in mid July and we decided to take a drive to see how the sunflower fields were coming along. They were right in the middle of the reproductive stage and I got some nice photos of the flowers in this stage.
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| Reproductive Phase |
Blooming Stage
During the blooming stage the sunflowers are in full bloom. During this phase you will see lots of bees busy fertilizing and pollinating the flowers. This stage will only last for about 20 days so I knew I had to get back to the fields quickly if I wanted to see the fields in full bloom. Fortunately about a week after my first visit a friend posted some photos showing the flowers in full bloom. I grabbed my camera and hopped in my car and headed right out to take some photos. I was rewarded with the following glorious sights.
Harvesting Phase
After the blooms are finished the seeds are harvested. You will want to wait till the flowers turn brown and start to bloom and then you cut the stems about 4 inches from the head of the flowers. Sunflower heads should be stored upside down in a dry and breathable bag.
Sunflowers are annuals so they must be replanted each year.
Fun Facts and more Sunflower Photos
The Sunflower has been named the plant of the year for 2021. In her review of this information, Olivia Morris shares more fun facts and photos about the Sunflower. Hope for the New Year Sunflowers Plant
Zazzle Products from My Photographs
I enjoy making cards and other Zazzle products from my photos. Here are a couple I hope you like.
Here some more Zazzle Sunflower gifts from my photographs.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
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