Guide: Sunflower
In Spain the sunflower is grown for seeds and oil. It is sown in spring and, as summer arrives, whole fields are covered in large yellow flowers. It is one of the most photographed summer landscapes, and it lasts only a few weeks before the plants dry out for harvest.
When
It depends mainly on the area and the sowing date. In Andalusia it usually blooms in June; on the northern plateaus, such as Castilla y León, July and part of August are typical. Spring rain and heat play a part, and since each farmer sows at a different time, the same district can have fields in flower next to others still green.
Where
The largest areas are in Castilla y León, Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha. On our map we follow the farmland of Seville province (Carmona, Utrera and El Coronil) and of Córdoba (between La Carlota and Castro del Río), in the south's most important sunflower area.
How to tell the moment
At bud stage the plant is already tall and the green, still-closed head follows the sun during the day. With the first flowers the yellow petals open on some plants. At full bloom the field is a yellow carpet and the heads face east. At the end the petals drop, the head turns brown, bends towards the ground and the plant dries out until harvest.
How to see it
Sunflowers are the farmer's harvest: do not walk into the fields, do not pull off flower heads and do not trample paths for photos. There are good views from tracks and roads. Park without blocking farm tracks. In summer the midday heat is intense: go early, when the flowers are also facing the rising sun, and take water.
Did you know?
Each sunflower head is actually a cluster of hundreds or thousands of tiny flowers arranged in spirals. A citizen science study in honour of the mathematician Alan Turing counted those spirals on more than 600 sunflowers: most of them followed the numbers of the Fibonacci sequence.
Where we follow it
- Campiña cordobesa · CórdobaFrom early June to late July
- Campiña de Carmona y Utrera · SevillaFrom early June to late July
Usual season: dates from past years, for guidance only. Each year it comes earlier or later depending on the weather.
Tell me when it blooms: sunflower
We will email you when flowering starts. One email per season, no advertising.
Sources: agronewscastillayleon.com · royalsocietypublishing.org · manchester.ac.uk · science.org