Ties of A Sunflower

This morning, I woke to a new dusting of snow on the ground.  

A chickadee hovered briefly over one of the ventilation holes in my composter, trying to pick at something sticking out on it.

Two mourning doves fed on the ground. Two American goldfinches fed from our main feeder.  Two dark-eyed juncos sat on our fence.

The birds are singing again.  Spring is on the way.

The scene this morning was so peaceful.

If only...

If only the pain of war, the terror, the suffering, could be alleviated by people thousands of miles away dressing in blue and yellow.  Or by holding candlelight vigils.  Or by watching chickadees and mourning doves on freshly fallen snow.

Or by buying/growing sunflowers.  I had already bought these to plant.

So many people all over the world love sunflowers.  Now, if sunflower seed sales are any indication, many people in the United States will be planting them this spring. 

I learned recently that there is an interesting tie between us in North America and the people of Ukraine:  the sunflower.

The sunflower originated in North America.  Here in the United States, it grows wild, and the indigenous peoples cultivated it. (I should also mention that we can also thank the Russians for the modern cultivated sunflower.) The seed mixture we are feeding birds with right now contains sunflower seeds.  Birds love it, as anyone who grows sunflowers knows.

I lived in the state of Kansas for a time, and it is their state flower.  Meanwhile, Ukraine is the number one exporter of sunflower oil.  The sunflower is their national flower.   It's natural to try to show support for Ukraine.   We hold the sunflower  in common.

Ukrainians love the sunflower for many reasons, including its yellow color.  I love them because there is just something about a sunflower.  They make me happy.  They make bees happy.  They make birds happy.  Win-win-win!

Outside a florist, downtown Binghamton, New York, one fall day

So I am going to post some of my sunflower pictures to honor the brave people of Ukraine.

 

Sunflowers make a beautiful frame for a children's reading garden at Ross Park in Binghamton, New York.

Another picture taken there.

Yes, spouse and I grew these. Memories of summer!

Not all sunflowers are yellow.

Growing on a beach in Madeira Beach, Florida

Why not be inspired by the sunflower?