July 03, 2017

Bumblebee on sunflower near Viechtach, Bavarian Forest, Bavaria, Germany

Sunflowers add a splash of colour to any setting, which is probably what inspired Vincent van Gogh to famously paint the cheerful plants. They make up the genus Helianthus, which is derived from the Greek words helios (sun) and anthos (flower). The French word for sunflower is ‘tournesol’, literally meaning ‘turn with the sun’ and that's exactly what young sunflowers do before they mature, a phenomenon known as heliotropism. The sunflower also isn't just one flower - each flower head is actually made up of many tiny blooms and can contain up to 2,000 seeds. They are a magnet for a variety of pollinators, including the bumblebee, captured in this photo in Germany.