• Saturday-What'sUP September 26 - 07:51 am

Today the Pasty Cam is a study of the life to death cycle of a sunflower here in the Great Northern U.P. The idea and photos came to me from Donna MacIntosh and I figured it would be a nice bright way to end the week. Sunflowers always seem to be smiling up and looking to the sun, like this one captured by Donna. The sun is filtering all around the flower and making it shine in the close-up shots, too, until you finally get to the last photo which signifies the beginning of the end for the sunflower. But the life cycle doesn't stop there, as those seeds that have formed keep the birds going for the long cold months coming up ahead. Nature is constantly evolving and never takes a break here in the U.P.

Nice pictures of sunflowers. They're so bright and cheerful.

Sunflowers and the fibonacci series - did a project for the science fair in highschool on mathematics in nature and the closeup of flowers always brings back those memories. Lovely shots of the bright flowers though the birds eating my grass seed would probably appreciate the last far more.

Sunflowers are a major crop in N. Dakota. Very large fields of them scattered around and so beautiful seeing that massive bright yellow. When we lived there, a friend told us to keep an eye on them and watch how their 'heads' follow the sun. Sure 'nuff, they do!

And most of them time, those sunflowers just pop up!

This spring there was a leak in the yard that required some digging, and when it was done, there was an area that needed something. My landlords wanted to put down some topsoil and grass seed, but I'd already sprinkled a few bags of "bird lover's garden" and some other stuff I'd gotten at rummage sales! And they said they'd let it go till later. (Thanks Donna and Dale!) And this little beauty was one of the flowers that made it. All the others that popped up got eaten by my midnite visits from the deer...they think those are suckers..."HEY..CANDY ON A STICK"...

Anyway...those sunflowers DO keep smiling at the sun. It's amazing to watch...in the morning, they get to watch the sunrise...in the evening, they are watching the sunset...

We may be a little wiser by following that plan!!

Have a Blessed weekend everyone!

Nature...flawless.

Last August I was up in east-central ND and NW Minnesota and saw only a few fields of sunflowers. Again, I was there last week. I saw only one field of sunflowers. Unfortunately they have mostly been replaced by soybeans and corn.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the first picture. ;O)

Sunflowers make me happy :)

Please, please, please add the first picture to WOW (Wallpaper of the
Week)!

Mary says: Annie...this actually isn't the photo that I've done up for the WOW for the week, but if you'd like me to send you a certain size of it, let me know and I can do that for you and email it to you. mdrew@pasty.com

Please don't forget to vote for the Copper Harbor ambulance barn! We are in 39th place this morning, with only 5 days to go. We need you!

http://www.refresheverything.com/copperharborambulancebarn?utm_source=em

You've been helping wonderfully, and we need that last push now!

Great shots!! Sunflowers are an excellent example of the Fibonacci sequence. For another unusual example, google the Romanescu broccoli or cauliflower. Have a great weekend everyone.

Vote cast.

JAD, that's sad about the sunflower fields being replaced in the northwest. They were so beautiful! :(

Beautiful sunflower!