Sunflowers

There it stands, facing south near where the stream empties into the harbour at Summerside. It is easy to miss this sunny beauty with the two buds waiting their turn to shine. We smile when we notice it. 

My husband and I saw a sunflower along this bank a few years ago. The sunflowers are probably from the birdseed left by admirers of the animals in the area. A seed planted itself along the bank when it floated downstream or a bird dropped it. Whatever the method, there it planted, sprouted and grew, which is no small feat.

While it was windy this day, it was low tide. On days of high tide and high winds, sea water breaches the bank and floods the stream and salt marsh. How did the little seed survive and go on to thrive?

A few days later, we looked for the sunflower from our perch on the gazebo again. “Look, there are more,” I said as I looked left along the bank. 

We walked down the boardwalk and along a trail out to the shore. The sunny faces rimmed the shoreline.

A few plants were still in bud while others were in different stages of blooming. 

One bloom was perfect, the centre of its face more green than the more mature flowers. 

All were in the shadow of the gazebo. 

“Remember those sunflower seeds I bought a few years ago?” my husband asked. “I nurtured them for weeks. They weren’t as perfect as these accidental ones.” 

And once again, nature shows us how it’s done!