Sunflower

“Sunflower teaches us to follow the Sun, to not only stand strong and tall, but also bright and shining”

Sunflower, Helianthus annuus, is one of my favorite flowers. My first garden, back when I was a young child, was a plot of sunflowers on the far right side of my Mother's garden, and she helped me plant them. It's one of the fond Mother-Son moments I have with her. I remember standing among them with awe and wonder, the Sunflowers towering over me in my own little fairy garden. Sunflowers are part of the Asteraceae family of Angiospermae, the flowering plant phylum that gave rise to the vast diversity of life and allowed land animals to grow to enormous size. Asteraceae is also the largest plant family, characterized by their unique trait of having hundreds to thousands of miniature flowers within the main flower. If you look closely at one, you will find the outer corolla of petals surrounds a whole geometric display of tiny flowers, each that forms its own seed. Sunflowers are the tallest and strongest of the Asteraceae, and also one of the most prolific. Their hearty stems provide the strength they need to rise above other plants and stargaze, turning their heads to follow the sun across the sky. They are resilient and beautiful, bright and golden like the sun they so adore. Their seeds are nutritious and delicious, and also plentiful and easy to harvest. When life is difficult, dark, or demanding, I like to remember myself standing amongst them, tall and proud as they lovingly smile back at the sun that provides us with warmth and light, and happiness is that much easier to reach.