Do sunflowers really turn toward the sun? (My first balcony sunflower!)

@TheHorse (218957)

Walnut Creek, California

April 30, 2016 11:56am CST

Most of use have probably heard about sunflowers turning toward the sun, but I've always wondered how quickly it happens. With my two balcony sunflowers in a planter, I've taken to turning the planter around, such that the tall and skinny plants are leaning away from the sun. My intention is to have the plants grow as tall as possible without support. Now that I have my first flower, I can experiment with the flowers themselves. I turned this one away from the sun (the sun is to the South as it arcs across the sky) yesterday morning, and by this morning, it was aimed at the sun again. I just turned it away from the sun (at 9:30 AM) and will see how long it takes before it's aimed toward the South again. Have you ever wondered about sunflowers? A correlary question: Why do cows usually orient the same way when grazing in a grassy field?

20 people like this

21 responses

@marguicha (223133)

• Chile

30 Apr 16

Don´t tie your sunflowers like a knot, trying to experiment

. I have not noticed that in cows. Will check when I come across some.

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Apr 16

They don't like being tied in knots. Let's see. Right now (after I turned it an hour or so ago) it's still facing North.

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Apr 16

@marguicha I'll see if my sunflower has a signal.

@celticeagle (167071)

• Boise, Idaho

30 Apr 16

Mine always did. Most plants do. I know nothing about cows.

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@celticeagle (167071)

• Boise, Idaho

1 May 16

@TheHorse ...No animal does.Some worse than others.

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 May 16

I know from experience that they don't like it if you get between them and their babies.

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 May 16

@celticeagle The two animals I've seen chase humans were cows and geese. Both involved babies.

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@Marcyaz (35316)

• United States

30 Apr 16

Sun flowers can grow to an enormous height and they do tend to turn towards the sun. Have fun with your Sun Flowers.

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@Marcyaz (35316)

• United States

1 May 16

I have seen some well over six feet tall.

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 May 16

@Marcyaz Oh yes! Some of the "mammoth" ones can grow to 10 feet and more given enough space and good soil.

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 May 16

My sunflowers are in a planter, so they're too tall for how thick they are. But I'm hoping both flower. I'll give them support when they get too top heavy.

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@Jessicalynnt (50523)

• Centralia, Missouri

30 Apr 16

I wonder if one sat there long enough one would see it move.

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@Jessicalynnt (50523)

• Centralia, Missouri

1 May 16

@TheHorse probablly, I was just curious if one could see it themselves, or if it's simply too slow, and one would fall asleep before one noticed a change

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 May 16

@Jessicalynnt Heh. I just turned mine around. I can almost but not quite see it from my desk.

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 May 16

Someone could do time lapse photography, perhaps every five minutes, and present it as a movie. I bet it's been done.

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@DianneN (247186)

• United States

30 Apr 16

I never had sunflowers, but all my flowers and plants, including my cacti, orient towards the sun. Cows? Never noticed that.

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Apr 16

I wonder why sunflowers are most famous for it!

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Apr 16

@DianneN Maybe they know that cows are secretly the most intelligent creatures on earth and are imitating them.

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@DianneN (247186)

• United States

30 Apr 16

@TheHorse Perhaps they are looking at the cows! Lol! Or, because they are so large.

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Vincent Summers

@KuznVinny (768)

• United States

1 May 16

So cows turn to face the sun? Not away from it? You'd think for the sake of their eyes, they'd turn away from it.

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 May 16

Actually, I don't see them facing the sun. To me, they often seem perpendicular to it, as if to gather its warmth. .

Vincent Summers

@KuznVinny (768)

• United States

1 May 16

@TheHorse That's interesting. And it makes sense.

@allknowing (136601)

• India

1 May 16

I have humbly accepted the fact sunflowers do point in the direction of the sun. I have had a few in my garden recently. I have not noticed any cow to ratify your statement.

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 May 16

I'll keep my eyes on the cows next time I go up to Black Diamond Mines.

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@marlina (154131)

• Canada

1 May 16

Re: the cow question: I have no clue whatsoever!

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 May 16

Heh heh. I've been researching it a bit this morning. Maybe I'll do a separate post about it.

@AbbyGreenhill (45494)

• United States

1 May 16

I just read an article (not here) about that - sunflowers do not turn toward the sun it stated. The cows across the road graze any which way, but they are southern that might explain it. They (whoever they are) say dogs only poop in a north-south direction - not true.

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@AbbyGreenhill (45494)

• United States

1 May 16

@TheHorse - well, what I read said they don't turn and I can see the cows across the road grazing in any old direction. My sunflowers have never turned the last two years. We just planted seeds today - I'll check that when they have flowers. I know I planted them so that they would face the road - which is west, but they always face east.

@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 May 16

There are many urban legends out there. My sunflower HAS been turning toward the sun (toward the South) each time I rotate it. I just researched the cow thing. Herdsmen have known for centuries that they tend to graze facing the same way. It turns out there are several theories as to why.

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@jaboUK (64354)

• United Kingdom

1 May 16

I always believed that did happen and now you've proved it. What's been eating the leaves? I haven't really thought about the cows.

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 May 16

I'm not sure if those little birds, or just bugs.

@Macarrosel (7498)

• Philippines

1 May 16

I have no idea about cows for I never grow a cow. They are expensive. About sunflowers, now I know that they turn towards the sun. For me sunflowers are amazing then.

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 May 16

My lone sunflower had turned toward the sun by early afternoon today.

Valerie J. Routhieaux

@just4him (317089)

• Green Bay, Wisconsin

30 Apr 16

That's a very interesting experiment you're conducting. As for the cows, I didn't know they did. Shows how much I know about cows and I come from Wisconsin - the Dairy State.

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 May 16

I always liked the fact that in Wisconson cows got milked, not eaten. But I'm sure some are eaten too.

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Valerie J. Routhieaux

@just4him (317089)

• Green Bay, Wisconsin

1 May 16

@TheHorse We eat cows. In fact we have a slaughterhouse here in Green Bay.

@norcal (4889)

• Franklinton, North Carolina

30 Apr 16

In my experience they do. I usually plant them in the ground, so I don't turn them away from the sun. But their bright little faces will follow it across the sky all day long.

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 May 16

Yep, mine is turning right now.

@Lucky15 (37374)

• Philippines

1 May 16

That is what they told us..lol With the cows...hmm. will ask the farmers

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

1 May 16

Let us know what they say!

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@Lucky15 (37374)

• Philippines

1 May 16

@TheHorse hope they knew the answers

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

30 Apr 16

All plants will be drawn towards the Sun to some degree. As for cows, they obviously do not like facing the udder way.

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Apr 16

Ar ar. I'll Moogle it later.

@garymarsh6 (23405)

• United Kingdom

30 Apr 16

It is too cold here yet for sunflowers to grow. We had snow this week can you believe!

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@TheHorse (218957)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Apr 16

Wow! We've been frost-free for a few months here in CA. When do you usually get your last snow of the Winter? When I think England, I think rain.

@JamesHxstatic (29413)

• Eugene, Oregon

1 May 16

That is an interesting experiment with the sunflowers. I have heard that they do that. I like the idea of watching them turn, if one had the time. I really wonder about the cows.

ElizabethWallace

@ElizabethWallace (12074)

• United States

1 May 16

Don't know about cows, but all flowers turn toward the sun each day. This is why I rotate my house plants. Outside plants with long necks, like sunflowers are more obvious in their movements.

@ridingbet (66854)

• Philippines

6 May 16

we had sunflower when i was in college. yes, the sunflower followed where the sun was. it also confirm,ed what my Biology teacher in high school said, that the sunflower was communicating to the sun and followed it wherever it went.

@teamfreak16 (43418)

• Denver, Colorado

30 Apr 16

My grandma had a bunch of them. I always found it neat that they did that.

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