The California Delta Sunflowers are in bloom

The California Delta sunflowers are now in bloom.

Every year I plant seedlings that I buy from Annies Annuals https://www.anniesannuals.com/ because whenever I've tried to grow sunflowers from seed, birds and cutworms eat the sprouts.

This year I planted five of these in our native patch area.

Being optimistic, we put five feet tall bamboo stakes next to each seedling in hopes that the sunflowers grow at least that high, as they did the first year we planted them in this yard, four years ago.

But even with all the TLC I give the plants, all five of the sunflower plants are only two feet tall.

I planted these in the late spring, so still trying to figure out why they aren't getting taller.

The main thing of course, is that they have grown, thriving, and producing lovely flowers.

Mysteriously, the first flower that bloomed disappeared overnight a couple of weeks ago.

We suspect a deer came by and ate it in the early morning hours.

From our past observations, these sunflowers are a favorite of the Summer Long-Horned Bees Melissodes robustior as

well as monarch butterflies.

Hopefully we'll have a lot of sunflowers this summer to provide nectar and pollen for the bees and butterflies.