Why do sunflowers follow the sun?
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Transcript
A tall sunflower stands in the garden. Why does its flower turn toward the sunny sky?
Young sunflower buds turn from east to west as the Sun moves. They are following its light.
The shady side of a young stem grows a little faster. That gentle push bends the bud toward the light.
When sunflowers are grown up, most face east instead. Morning sunshine warms them early.
So young sunflowers follow sunlight as they grow. Later, many grown-up flowers greet the morning Sun!
For grown-ups: the science
Young sunflower buds bend toward sunlight while they grow, but grown-up flowers usually face east.
Young sunflower buds track the Sun across the sky through heliotropism. Light causes unequal growth on the shaded side of the stem, bending the bud toward the light. As flowering heads mature, this daily tracking stops; in many cultivated sunflowers, heads settle facing east, which can warm flowers earlier and may support pollinator activity.