My online journal sharing interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
“All that we can do with any spiritual discipline is produce within ourselves something of the silence, the humility, the detachment, the purity of heart and the indifference which are required if the inner self is to make some shy, unpredictable manifestation of his presence.” James Finley
Here is a link to an interesting article by William Neil.
After dinner last night I walked around the gardens with my camera. This sunflower plant is about five feet in height. Since it was backlit, a photo opportunity appeared and I accepted it. Hope to get in some exploring time in this weekend in between reading.
I had never noticed this field of sunflowers before and driven by several times. So, I’m not sure if its a new field or I’ve just overlooked before. Anyway I turned around and went back to explore the field of flowers. I was not the only one as I encountered three other vehicles all stopping to take photos. We do not know just how large these sunflowers really are until we walk among them. They are beautiful.
And, since you asked: Sunflowers exhibit heliotropism — they follow the Sun’s daily round. Heliotropism most likely helps to increase the development of pollen — once pollinated the sunflower head remains facing east. This daily dance with the Sun results from motor cells in a flexible segment of the stem just below the bud known as the pulvinus. These cells enlarge or shrink according to the turgor pressure of the water against the cell walls. As pressure increases on one side and decreases on the other the stem responds by drooping or stiffening.
A farm house is hidden among the trees located just to the left of the grain elevators. This farm house is located just about in the middle of the section of land so it is surrounded by farm land. A one lane dirt road leads to house with these sunflowers on either side. I think it’s interesting that this farmer has a yard that is full of sunflowers rather than a couple of aspens, a flower bed with potentillas and hostas along with about 400 square feet of grass. They have a great view and neighbors are not too close.
I found these one morning last week on a drive east along Morse Road. I go out there every once in a while just to get out of the suburbs. I stopped because sunflowers are such a magnificent flower, standing tall and proud. They also remind me a young lady named Peggy who also enjoys them. I haven’t seen her in a couple of years but we do keep in touch via emails and facebook. Here’s another one for you, Peggy.