It’s always exciting when a plant volunteers itself in the garden. This spring I had a few tomatoes volunteer from last year and bunches on ground cherries. Midsummer brought the happiest volunteers of all- these big beautiful sunflowers. 

I filled the bird feeders with black sunflower seed because I love watching the bright red cardinals that come to gnash on them. Did you know some believe that cardinals are the spirits of females who have passed, coming back to visit?  Men send blue jays; women send cardinals. Anyway, the birds have been busy at the feeders and also apparently dropping seed all over the yard. 

None of the sunflowers I actually planted came up. The chickens dug up all the seeds before they could germinate or they ate the little seedlings when they did come up. The seeds that the songbirds dropped in my garden, which is fenced to keep chickens and other animals out, made it to blossom though. 

They make me so happy when I walk by the garden and see their bright faces turned towards the sun. 

The bees like them too!

If I were a flower, I’d be a sunflower to always follow the sun and turn my back on darkness. 

-Pam Stewart