My French sunflowers look so unhappy

@JudyEv (325248)

Rockingham, Australia

August 11, 2017 12:01pm CST

We’re heading towards the Bordeaux region again in our tour of France and I’ve been seeing more and more fields of sunflowers. But instead of the brilliant yellow blooms pointing towards the sun, I’m seeing sunflowers with their heads hanging and looking very downcast. They really do look sad at the moment. I guess within a short time they’ll be harvested and that will be the end of their bright, happy colours for another year. But the world keeps turning and no doubt it will seem like no time at all before they are once again presenting their bright faces to the sun.

19 people like this

18 responses

@Marilynda1225 (79548)

• United States

11 Aug 17

Those sunflowers do look a bit sad but it's still a nice picture. I'm sure it's magnificent when that whole field is in bloom

4 people like this

@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Aug 17

We have some nice photos of whole fields full of bright yellow flowers but now they're ready for harvest and looking a bit sad. .

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@amadeo (111948)

• United States

11 Aug 17

if you want to see a field of sunflower.Tuscany,Italy is the place .Wonderful

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Aug 17

We have seen some lovely fields here too but now it is almost time for the plants to be harvested.

@amadeo (111948)

• United States

11 Aug 17

@JudyEv the time of the year.

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@youless (112100)

• Guangzhou, China

12 Aug 17

Try to think it in another way, perhaps they are shy or they want to be polite and nod the head to see you

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@youless (112100)

• Guangzhou, China

13 Aug 17

@JudyEv In fact we have a story about a Chinese beauty in the ancient time. She was just so beautiful that all the flowers were shy and bent and the moon was hidden.

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Aug 17

@youless That sounds a lovely fable.

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Aug 17

Perhaps they are shy. They are now past their best and perhaps they know it.

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@rebelann (111063)

• El Paso, Texas

11 Aug 17

I wish I could get sunflowers to grow repeatedly year after year but although I had sunflowers early last year the seeds did not produce a new crop for this year.

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@rebelann (111063)

• El Paso, Texas

11 Aug 17

I thought so too @JudyEv but maybe the birds and wabbits ate all the seeds. I'm going to try again in fall.

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Aug 17

@rebelann My mother would plant sunflowers round her apple trees. She reckoned the parrots ate the sunflower seeds and left the apples alone.

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Aug 17

I would have thought they'd reproduce themselves each year in a garden.

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@LadyDuck (457212)

• Switzerland

12 Aug 17

Mine look the same right now, they have to stay until they are fully dry, so that they can collect the seeds.

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@LadyDuck (457212)

• Switzerland

13 Aug 17

@JudyEv I collect the seeds to give to the birds, so I do nothing.

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Aug 17

@LadyDuck That's a very good finish for the seeds - providing food for birds.

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Aug 17

Do you have to do anything to the seeds before using them? And do you eat them or have another use for them?

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@Inlemay (17714)

• South Africa

20 Aug 17

Those look ready to be harvested.

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

22 Aug 17

They do, don't they? I'm not sure what the criteria is for harvest but these certainly look very ripe.

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@Inlemay (17714)

• South Africa

23 Aug 17

@JudyEv waiting for the GRIM REAPER - ha ha

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

23 Aug 17

@Inlemay No wonder they are hanging their heads!

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@GardenGerty (157463)

• United States

12 Aug 17

We often do not see the end part of the cycle.. Will these be harvested for seeds or for oil? I look to the other sidebar photos and see that we are having a lovely vacation along with you. Thanks for taking us.

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Aug 17

There seems to be different varieties but I don't know which ones are grown for what purpose. I'm glad you're enjoying 'our' trip.

@much2say (53868)

• Los Angeles, California

11 Aug 17

Awww

. Or maybe they are all taking a bow

!

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Aug 17

They might be but it doesn't look much like a bow to me.

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@much2say (53868)

• Los Angeles, California

12 Aug 17

@JudyEv I was thinking of those head bows . . . I just remember my piano teacher used to yell at a fellow student for doing a head bow after her recital instead of a full bow

.

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Aug 17

@much2say It's funny what comes back to mind sometimes.

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@PatZAnthony (14752)

• Charlotte, North Carolina

11 Aug 17

The fact that these can be harvested for food is a wonderful thing @JudyEv

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@PatZAnthony (14752)

• Charlotte, North Carolina

13 Aug 17

@JudyEv Oh, yes, it certainly is! That might be where much of the sunflower oil and the seeds come from then.

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

14 Aug 17

@PatZAnthony Sunflowers are grown commercially in the US too aren't they?

@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Aug 17

We have seen acres and acres of these throughout France. It must be quite an industry.

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@xFiacre (12609)

• Ireland

11 Aug 17

@judyev They really do look most depressed in that state and I feel depressed looking at them.

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Aug 17

I thought they looked sad and unhappy too. I had to eat chocolate to snap out of my doldrums.

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@HazySue (39264)

• Gouverneur, New York

11 Aug 17

Poor things. It's like they are hanging their heads in shame for losing their color.

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Aug 17

@HazySue They're really droopy aren't they?

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Aug 17

I'm surprised by just how unhappy they look. It's like they're hanging their heads and crying.

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@HazySue (39264)

• Gouverneur, New York

11 Aug 17

@JudyEv it is. They do look quite sad.

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@andriaperry (116860)

• Anniston, Alabama

11 Aug 17

I am learning about sunflowers and I think they hang down because of the heavy seeds. I wonder when I am supposed to harvest those seed? LOVE this photo.

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Aug 17

I guess these will be harvested by machine soon. I think they are ready to pick when they stop following the sun around and look like this.

@FayeHazel (40248)

• United States

11 Aug 17

What a happy sight a field full of sunflowers must be

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Aug 17

When they are out in bloom they are spectacular.

@Kandae11 (53678)

•

11 Aug 17

You are right - those sunflowers are not looking very bright.

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Aug 17

Don't you think they look sad?

@snowy22315 (169532)

• United States

12 Aug 17

Aww, maybe their time has passed!

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@JohnRoberts (109857)

• Los Angeles, California

11 Aug 17

It must be harvest time or a lack sunlight for them to be "sad."

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Aug 17

It's harvest tine I'm sure. They were all perky and pretty a month ago.

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@teamfreak16 (43421)

• Denver, Colorado

11 Aug 17

I'm not used to seeing them that way.

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Aug 17

I loved them when the whole paddock was yellow but now they seem to be hiding their heads in shame.

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•

11 Aug 17

yeah i think it will take some time but after that it will become good and color would be awesome some time this thing happen that the thing does not happen as we want but in future it will be ok.

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@JudyEv (325248)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Aug 17

That's true. I'm sure there will be lots of lovely fields of sunflowers next season.