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Birds Love Sunflowers
Planting sunflowers can do a world of good for the local ecosystem.
© Miki Jourdan
Found throughout North America, the common sunflower can grow up to ten feet high, towering over other herbs and grasses. And that’s only half the story: their roots can reach just as deep in the soil. They’re rugged, adaptable plants that bring beauty — and food — to the ecosystem. Planting sunflowers in a public green space or a backyard can benefit pollinator insects as well as finches and other birds that seek out their seeds, which often last well into the winter.
BirdNote®
Birds Love Sunflowers
Written by Conor Gearin
Michael Stein: This is BirdNote.
[American Goldfinch and background birdsong]
A bright yellow sunflower swaying in the breeze is an attractive sight for many birds. An equally yellow American Goldfinch lands on the huge flowerhead and begins pulling out ripe seeds.
Found throughout North America, the common sunflower can grow up to ten feet high, towering over other herbs and grasses. Some giant garden varieties grow even taller. They’re rugged, adaptable plants, able to sprout along roadsides, deep within prairies, and from dry spots in urban gardens.
One secret to their success? Sunflowers have roots up to ten feet deep, reaching sources of water that other plants just can’t.
While you might be most familiar with the common sunflower, there are many other related species, each with slightly different habitats and unique flower shapes.
Planting sunflowers in a public green space or a backyard garden can do a world of good for the local ecosystem. Bees and other insects gather their nectar and pollen. Finches and other birds seek out their seeds, which often last well into the winter.
And like birds, sunflowers bring vibrant color to the places they live, especially in the weeks when summer transforms into fall.
For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein.
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Senior Producer: John Kessler
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Managing Editor: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Conor Gearin
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. American Goldfinch ML94300 recorded by Wil Hershberger.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2023 BirdNote August 2023
Narrator: Michael Stein
ID# sunflower-01-2023-08-30 sunflower-01
Conor Gearin
Writer
Michael Stein
NarratorSights & Sounds
