Kansas Sunflowers

When we moved back to the Midwest or more specifically Kansas I'll admit I became giddy at the thought of watching the sunflowers bloom. Now, I had no idea what to expect, but I thought there would be sunflowers everywhere, right, it is the Sunflower State after all. I quickly learned the sunflowers bloom in the fall and your more likely to see wild sunflowers than the large ones you see featured in ads and photos. I also learned that you'll need to find a farm that grows sunflowers to experience these beauties.

I googled "kansas sunflower farms" and was directed to Grinter Farm in Lawrence. I happened to find the page at the right time as the sunflowers were almost at peak bloom. "Farmer Ted" opens up his 40 acre farm each year to the public for FREE.

We decided to head to the farm over the weekend. We had been warned to go early to avoid the crowds and line. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was AMAZING. We had almost no trouble finding a spot and dragged the kids out for some pictures. They preferred getting lost in the fields than posing for photos. I can't say I blame them. I wasn't expecting the flowers to be taller than the kids nor did I anticipate the heads to be as large as they were. We didn't venture to far into the fields since we brought along the stroller. As we were leaving we passed fields and fields of flowers. Next year I'd love to venture further into the fields. We did see our fair share of wild sunflowers on our way and in the field behind our house, which are beautiful in their own way.

We picked the perfect time to go as the sheriff shut down the road later that day. Thousands upon thousands of people came out experience the sunflowers. A big THANK YOU to the Grinter family for sharing their farm with half of Kansas and Missouri.