Sunflowers blossom for a limited window of time. In the United States, most sunflowers start blooming in late July or early August and can last up to three months until frost gets them.
In hotter parts of the country, sunflowers often begin blooming early and sometimes last into October before they’re done producing flowers. The flowering season also depends on your location and growing conditions, so not all sunflowers will bloom for the same amount of time everywhere.
The flower heads are incredibly efficient at tracking the Sun’s movement across the sky, slowly turning from east to west throughout the day. Sunflowers typically follow exactly 26-degree arcs each day, with some varieties taking a bit longer or shorter to do so.
The bright yellow petals around the outside of the head keep pushing against one another as new petals form inwards until eventually, fully formed petals no longer reach upwards but instead radiate outward from their center, framing a black core full of seeds forming inside as they reach peak freshness.
When morning comes again, they begin repeating this motion until frost ends their lifecycle leaving behind a rich compost filled with dark brown heads just waiting for spring to come again, lifting new life that will delight until autumn shows up once more.