When I’m not photographing birds, I photograph whatever catches my eye. Last September, my focus shifted to sunflower photography near Farmington Bay WMA. It is rainy here in northern Utah this morning but these sunflowers will brighten my day.
Sunflower blooming in Utah – Nikon D500, f10, 1/1000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
These sunflowers are cultivated and were planted at a pumpkin farm near the nature center at Farmington Bay WMA.
Sunflower with a green metallic bee and wasp – Nikon D500, f10, 1/2000, ISO 640, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
More often than not, these sunflowers make me smile plus I find birds, bees, and other insects on them. I love photographing these sunflowers.
Sunflower with curly petals – Nikon D500, f10, 1/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I haven’t been to Farmington Bay WMA since early spring so I don’t even know if the pumpkin patch or the sunflowers are still there. But I hope they are.
Sunflower facing the morning light – Nikon D500, f10, 1/2000, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Everything has changed so much near and on Farmington Bay WMA since I first arrived in Utah in 2009. I’d really miss the pumpkin patch and the sunflowers if they have been sold. Farmington Bay WMA doesn’t feel the same anymore because of all the road construction and housing development near it.
Change can be good, but the changes near Farmington Bay WMA because of the construction of the West Davis Corridor? In my own opinion, they haven’t been good at all.
It is hard to watch beloved locations change for the worse and even harder to have a positive attitude about those changes.
We need the rain we are getting this morning, I am positive about that.
Mia
More info on cultivated sunflowers: Cultivated Sunflowers and Their Wild Relatives
Click here to see more of my wildflower, shrub and tree photos.
Beautiful sunflowers 🙂
There’s a few chapters focused on how to address building and planting to best survive heat waves and other exigencies of our new climate– worth a read!
The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet by Jeff Goodell (2023)
Yes the flowers and pumpkin patch survive! The flowers are not as tall or dense this year, I thought with all the moisture they would be. What I have not seen is all the blackbirds eating the seeds yet this year. The heads are drying and bending down but I did not see one bird on them. I love the rain today, I have had at least 1/2 inch over night and it is still lightly raining.
Beautiful things. Beautiful cheerful things. Thank you. I am glad that you are getting some rain. We need it too.
Thank you for some gorgeous sunflowers today — they never fail to make me smile. 🌻
Agree with you. Development close to a wildlife area is the beginning to making that area into a park. Many people will discover the area and soon the people will outnumber
the wildlife. It is so here in Virginia where I live. I do think it is important for people to be in nature and in wildlife areas as it is good for the people and these people
might advocate for area preservation. However, there should be areas in which the wildlife comes first. Areas that are if not exclusive to wildlife then at least be
removed from the hubbub of cars, dogs, strollers, bikers, runners…etc., etc.