Why Do Sunflowers Face the Sun?

Pilar asked,

“Why do sunflowers face the sun?”

Thanks for your great question, Pilar.

Sunny Sunflowers

While sunflowers are growing, they follow the path of the sun each day. This behavior has a special name—heliotropism (hee-lee-oh-TRO-pih-sum). In the morning, they face east toward where the sun rises. Then, as the sun makes its path across the sky throughout the day, the sunflower’s face turns to follow the sun. At night, young sunflowers turn back toward the east to meet the sun again in the morning.

Scientists think sunflowers follow the sun because of circadian (ser-KAY-dee-un) rhythms. A circadian rhythm is a built-in clock that allows the sunflower to follow a 24-hour cycle. God made humans and animals to have these built-in clocks too.

How Does the Sun Help Sunflowers Grow?

New sunflowers grow with the help of pollinators, creatures like bees, moths, and butterflies. When a pollinator lands on a flower, some yellow dust called pollen sticks to them. When they land on the next flower, that pollen brushes off, fertilizing the second flower.

As sunflowers face the sun, the sun warms them up. The warm flower keeps the pollinators warm when they land, which helps give the pollinator the energy it needs to fly. With the help of the hot sun, the warm sunflower can attract more pollinators, helping more sunflowers to grow.

When God created all plants on day three of creation, about 6,000 years ago, he designed sunflowers with exactly what they would need to survive in our fallen world.

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