Do you ever sit in the afternoon sun and ponder about how many different species of sunflowers there are in the world. The answer my friend is 70. You can rest easy now knowing that fact but did you also know that each sunflower is actually made up of thousands of tiny individual flowers, up to 2000. And they are not always yellow.
I write about these today because I see them all over the place at this time of year except of course in my own garden. I hate to admit it but I cannot grow them there and I have tried, oh yes, I have tried. Since my husband loves them, I have periodically through the years, bought different ones and planted them in different spots in the garden and they die. I don’t know why! Subsequently, now I just take pictures of them and then give him a card every once in awhile so he can enjoy them if not in the flesh so to speak then through a photograph. Below are some facts regarding sunflowers for you.
Famous Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh did a series of paintings called Sunflowers.
Kansas is often known as the Sunflower state and the flower is in fact Kansas’s state flower. The sunflower is also the national flower of Ukraine.
Sunflower was an important source of food for Native Americans. They used yellow pigment from the flowers to paint their bodies during spiritual rituals and to make dyes for fabrics. Also, they used sunflowers in medical purposes and for the production of bread.
Another factor that has a big influence on the meaning of sunflowers is the belief (in Chinese culture especially) that they bring good luck. It’s believed that sunflowers are the ideal bloom to fill a home with a sense of safety and good fortune.
Sunflowers have also gone to space – specifically the International Space Station with astronaut Don Pettit in 2012.
Baseball players now substitute chewing sunflower seeds for tobacco which I think is not only prudent (less danger of contracting cancer of the mouth for one) but healthy as they provide Vitamin D and minerals to give them more energy. Along with health concerns, the slow pace of baseball provides players an excellent opportunity to find something to keep them busy. Chewing gum and seeds are also an excellent way to cope with the nervous energy built up during a high tension game.
And for your musical treat of the day
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
I always felt the sunflower represented strength the way it withstood the elements….a beacon of hope…as it stood tall and face the sun with beauty and grace..
I remember when I used to drive to Barrie to see my mom…there was a field of them…that I would pass by….it was a site to behold!
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Evidence suggests that the plant was cultivated by American Indians in present-day Arizona and New Mexico about 3000 BC. Some archaeologists suggest that sunflower may have been domesticated before corn. Wow!
You’ve included a good tune!
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