We visited this sunflower field yesterday, along with some good friends. It is located approximately 15 miles west of the western edge of Kansas City, near Tonganoxie. The owner / farmer planted a million seeds this year! Ted Grinter and his wife have been growing sunflowers for 30 years and invite the public to view them for free.

To give you an idea of the sunflower’s size, look closely and several people are visible walking in the field of flowers. The average height to top of flower is close to 6 ft.. The subtle change in color (between each field image) reveals the change in natural light. When we arrived just before dawn, it was cloudy and had just rained. Nevertheless, as each minute passed the sky became brighter. We were hoping to catch the sun’s morning rays filter over and into this field, but even though that didn’t occur, the result is still pretty spectacular. What a sight!

Triplets ! The average diameter of these sunflowers is 8 to 10 inches (petal tip to petal tip). The round center averages 4 to 5 inches in diameter. Some leaves are larger than the flowers, and the stalks are 3/4 to 1 inch thick at their base.

For each sunflower cut and taken, the farmer asks for a dollar which is deposited in a container at the field (honor system). Ted reinvests this money in the following year’s crop…or becomes a millionaire if all are taken!

While the face of the flower radiates a sense of joy, the back is more like a piece of poetry as the green petals mimic the yellow. The flowers peaked last week and their beauty will begin to diminish as they slowly discolor and dry up. We, and many hundreds of lucky folk, were blessed to witness such an amazing sight-this field of flowers.