California Sunflowers

Sunflower-Fields-Hither-And-Thither-05

Sunflower-Fields-Hither-And-Thither-06

Gratuitous photos of sunflowers to come. I couldn’t help myself.

Sunflowers have never been my favorite when cut, but in a field they’re wonderful. There was a time when they would make me think of a summer spent in France—riding trains and looking out the window as the view would alternate shades of gold, depending on whether we were passing flowers or fields of rolled hay. Now I think they’ll remind me of a particular sunset in Davis when two little children played in the dirt and tried to stick their noses all the way inside the flowers to try and smell them.

I would have never guessed, during that summer long ago when I snapped all those blurry shots of passing fields, that one day I’d have one practically in my backyard.

Sunflower-Fields-Hither-And-Thither-09

Sunflower-Fields-Hither-And-Thither-07

Sunflower-Fields-Hither-And-Thither-08

Sunflower-Fields-Hither-And-Thither-03

Sunflower-Fields-Hither-And-Thither-01

 

Sunflower-Fields-Hither-And-Thither-10

Sunflower-Fields-Hither-And-Thither-04

Fun facts: This field lies just beyond our home in Davis and is usually planted with tomatoes. In fact, there once was a Hunt’s canning facility here. Since the flowers have appeared, we’ve been reading more about them. According the the National Sunflower Association, most sunflowers are grown in the Dakotas but 95% of the seeds for all sunflower farms come from California—specially the Sacramento Valley. In terms of acreage, it’s the number-one seed crop in the state.

P.S. Other local pleasures: Almond Orchards in bloom, Capay Valley farm dinners, blackberry picking, and strawberry fields (forever).

Related posts:

Travel Guides

Browse By Category