Emma, Tim and I piled into the car to chase lavender from our base in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. What we weren’t expecting were fields of sunflowers stretching alongside the road! We came across bursts of the bright yellow flowers standing at attention as we drove along the rural road between Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and Noves.
The sunflower head points east toward the sunrise. Before they bloom, motor cells in the sunflower stem tilt the flower bud to try to receive a maximum amount of sunlight throughout the day. By evening, the sunflower head is pointing west, toward the sunset. Basically sunflowers trace a 180 degree arc, tracking the sun’s position throughout the day, from horizon to horizon, sunrise to sunset. Overnight, the sunflower will reset to its original eastward position and wait for the morning, ready to follow the sun’s path once again. But once they bloom, sunflowers no longer follow the sun and are frozen into an eastward-facing position.
We pulled off to the side of the road and all the sunflowers were facing east, away from us! We walked the road between the fields scouting for a spot that we could get down into the fields and capture the sunflowers facing toward us. There was a big ditch full of pricker bushes and it was just impossible. We both gave up. It was pointless to take pictures with the sunflowers facing away from us.
And then we turned around.
We were so enchanted by the long stretches of sunflowers to our right and trying to figure out how to best photograph them, we didn’t even notice the field on the other side of the road. And of course, those sun flowers were facing east right toward us. There wasn’t even a ditch separating us from the field. Laughing, we watched the bees buzz on the sunflower heads and snapped happily away.
Note: The sunflower fields are all privately owned and like any other crop, will be harvested for sunflower seed production. Be respectful if you visit these fields. Don’t pick the flowers or trample them.
Jeff Titelius says
Absolutely stunning pics my friend!! I wish I could have been there. Your puppy looks happy too!!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Thanks, Jeff! Emma is always happy when she gets to come along. She sure is one spoiled pup!
Heather says
LOVE the sunflower pictures!!
Julie says
I love your blog! I see things that I would like to try, like an Agriturismo (sp) but haven’t been brave enough.
Andrew says
Pretty pictures. We have a few sun flowers growing randomly on our street. Man they are way taller than I expected them to be.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Thanks, Andy! Yes, they are very tall. But then again, I usually feel very small in comparison to most things. 🙂
Lawrence Michaels says
What a beautiful field of sunflowers. When I first saw your pictures, it reminded me of a Van Gogh painting.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Thanks, Lawrence! While staying in St. Remy we had the opportunity to visit the asylum Van Gogh incarcerated himself in before his death. Much of Van Gogh’s inspiration came from St. Remy and its surrounds. With fields like these, it is easy to see why!
Ali says
They are so pretty! And that’s so interesting about how they move with the sun until they bloom, I had no idea they did that. Great photos!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Thanks, Ali! I feel inspired to pot a sunflower at home now so I can watch it move with the sun!
Natasha von Geldern says
How beautiful! I’ve seen sunflower fields in Italy and England and they’re hard to beat for pretty!
noel says
gorgeous, love how amazing these farmlands are when they bloom and the many uses they have for the flowers and byproducts, more-so how stunning it is to see along the roadways
Jennifer Dombrowski says
June and July are a gorgeous time of year to visit this area of France with both the sunflowers and lavender in bloom!
budget jan says
That is amazing that they track the sun. I love sunflowers, so I found your blog title irresistible. 🙂
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Isn’t it? I actually did not know sunflowers track the sun until our trip through Provence. Smart flower!
Jackie Humphries Smith says
I love sunflowers. I love France. I love this post!
Marcia says
Love, love, love sunflowers!
How lucky are to have been surrounded by them, in the south of France, no less!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Lavender and sunflowers bloom at the same time in the South of France. We didn’t know about the sunflowers, but had purposely been there for lavender. It is a gorgeous time to visit!
Sally says
Can you see these flowers at the end of June? I hope so! Your pictures are stunning.
Astrid says
Hi, may I know the city you stayed in the South of France to see the beautiful sunflower and lavender field in summer?
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Hi Astrid,
Yes, we based ourselves in St. Remy-de-Provence for our trip. You’ll need a car as the lavender farms are still 1 – 2 hours away from St. Remy.
Fatemah says
This is so beautiful!!!! I’m planning a trip to Cannes soon .. do you know any near sunflower fields nearby Cannes, Monaco, or Nice? Like average drive of 90 mins