The common sunflower is aptly named. Right now you can see it blooming along roadsides and in abandoned fields. The sunflower is originally native to North America but has spread throughout the world. The flower is tall, a bright yellow, and provides a spot of color in otherwise bland settings.
Sunflowers are part of the aster or composite family. Each ray on the sunflower is an individual flower. They are known as “ray flowers.” The center is composed of many small, circular-shaped flowers. They are known as “disc flowers.” All of these individual flowers come together, creating what appears to be one single bloom, which is referred to as the “head.” The word aster means star in Greek and certainly is a befitting description for the flowers.
I love these flowers mostly because I enjoy drawing the flower heads so very much. I can draw the heads over and over again in all stages of bloom, from not yet open to the withered petals still clinging to the center. I would even say that I like to draw the withered petals the most.
As the petals shrivel, they become more and more curly, folding in and around themselves, offering countless ways to draw all of the configurations. In full bloom, the individual rays extend out from the center, but as they mature, they begin to drape over the disc flowers in interesting patterns and formations.
I know that some people feel the flower is beyond its prime at this stage, but I feel it is just beginning to reach its prime! The rays are now twisted and crumpled, dangling and drooping this way and that. They offer all kinds of contours to study and enjoy.
So as the western sunflower continues on its journey from “bloom to dust,” take delight in the show, much as you would a performance given by a seasoned acrobat!
Leslie Rego is an Idaho Press Club award-winning columnist, artist and Blaine County resident. To view more of Rego’s art, visit www.leslierego.com