Friday, August 15, 2008

Sunflowers




from Wikipedia: The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an annual plant native to the Americas in the family Asteraceae, with a large flowering head (inflorescence). The stem of the flower can grow as high as 3 metres tall, with the flower head reaching up to 30 cm in diameter with the "large" seeds. The term "sunflower" is also used to refer to all plants of the genus Helianthus, many of which are perennial plants.


They are beautiful flowers that come in different colors and a variety of heights and sizes. They also do something really cool.

"Sunflowers in the bud stage exhibit heliotropism. At sunrise, the faces of most sunflowers are turned towards the east. Over the course of the day, they follow the sun from east to west, while at night they return to an eastward orientation. This motion is performed by motor cells in the pulvinus, a flexible segment of the stem just below the bud. As the bud stage ends, the stem stiffens and the blooming stage is reached." (from Wikipedia)


They are a fun flower to have in the yard but be warned if you have deer they love to eat them.

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Milkweed

Milkweed

monarch caterpillar on milkweed

Butterfly

Butterfly

in the butterfly house


hummingbirds join the butterflies

red panda

Birds in the Aviary

Birds in the Aviary

scarlet ibis