Sunflowers – sunflower field
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Sunflowers
Sunflowers are tall plants with large ,flat flowers . They come from north America but grow in other parts of the world too. there are several kinds of sunflowers , but the above kind of sunflowers have bright yellow petals.
Seeds are planted in the ground by spring , when the soil is warm and damp. Inside the seed is a tiny plant which soon begins to grow. the roots of the plant push down through the soil. They are covered in tiny hairs which take in water.A green shoot grows upwards from the sunflower seed.during the first 2 weeks the green shoot grows and opens the first leaves.they use sunlight , air and water to make food for the plant.(3-4)The plant grows taller and more leaves grow at the tip of the stem.the stem is covered with fine hairs to stop insects from climbing up it.
(4-6)The leaves grow bigger.under the ground the roots grow longer . thy take in water and minerals the plant needs to stay alive and go on growing.A large bud has formed at the end of the stem.it is protected by pointed green bracts that look like small leaves. (6-8) The bracts unfold and the bud begins to open . underneath the bracts they are lot of yellow petals . (9 weeks) the plant grows taller and taller.the flowers open out.each Sunflower flower head contains many tiny flowers.
‘sunflowers’
We all know why this flower gets the name “Sunflower” – all the sunflowers turn to face the sun. As the sun moves across the sky,the flower heads turn to follow it.each flower head is made up of hundreds of tiny flowers called florets.the tip of these sunflower florets are covered with a fine yellow dust called pollen.
As Sunflower-head Grows bigger , Honey bees reach the flowers ( coz of the bright yellow petals ) and collects pollen.as the bee crawls across the florets , its body and legs gets covered with pollen.the bee flies from one flower-head to another.the pollen rubs off its body into the florets.in the centre of each floret is a tiny ovule.they Ovule Becomes a seed when the pollen joins with it.
(13 )The florets have nor more pollen left , but Inside each one a seed is beginning to swell.the petals round the flower-head wilt and fall off. as time pass by the sunflower-heads become darker and turn almost black.some of them are so heavy – they droop from the end of the stems.(14) the florets wither and the sunflower-head looks like a flat disk of shiny black seeds.
‘Sunflower Seeds‘
‘Sunflower fields’ from mysticmedusa
Birds feed on the seeds,the birds drop some of the seeds as they fly away.these may grow into new plants by next year . Farmers use harvester to cut the plants and shake them out to harvest the sunflower seeds.farmers grow sunflowers for their seeds.most of seeds are crushed and made into animal feed or squeezed to make sunflower oil. some seeds are roasted for us to eat as snacks. some seeds are kept to planted for next spring.pet guinea pigs like to eat “sunflower seeds”.
Some Sunflower Wallpapers
More on Sunflowers :
- Sunflowers can grow over 7 metres tall – taller than a one-storey house.
- The flower-head can be 30 to 40
- centimetres across – as big as a dinner plate.
- Each flower-head may produce 1,000 seeds. Most seeds are made into oil and margarine.
- ‘Sunflowers’ grow all over the world but more are grown in Russia than in any other country.
Define sunflower Related terms (for Kids ):
- bracts parts of a plant that protect the bud while it grows. In most other kinds of flowers they are called sepals
- floret a tiny flower, which is part of a flower-head
- flower-head a flower that is made up of many tiny florets
- harvest to gather in ripe crops
- minerals chemicals that the plant needs to stay healthy
- ovule female egg that forms a seed when joined with a male pollen
- pollen the tiny male seeds of a plant
Reference Sites for sunflowers
Sunflowers | season to sow sunflower seeds | National sunflower asosiation | About sunflower history and growth – harvest – sunflower dieseases | Botanical name of sunflower Helianthus annuus – Learn to grow sunflowers | Flickr photo stream on sunflowers – The International Sunflower Guerrilla Gardening Day
‘sunflowers’
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