Common Sunflower
Helianthus annuus
Helianthus annuus
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I spent several years exploring at Rockville before I saw one of these sunflowers. After a lot of observation, I came up with a couple of reasons why there were so few of them. In the fall one year, after it had rained, I counted the sunflower plants that I could see sprouted along the sides two short trails. I saw more than 80 of them! But then, as the weather turned cooler, some of the leaves and plants withered in the cold temperatures. Another factor in the plants disappearing seemed to be the arrival of the grazing cows. Evidently, they really like eating up the sunflowers! By the time Spring rolled around, there weren't many plants left to grow to maturity.
| This was the first sunflower that I had seen in the 'Outback' of the park, which is a drier, chaparral area. The plant is at least 4 feet tall. |
| I evidently had passed by this sunflower many times without noticing it, until I took this photo on July 1. |
| The plant is looking a worn out, but hanging on with that bloom! |
| This photo and the ones following show the plants as they withered in cold temperatures. |
