GOLDEN SUNFLOWERS nod on the breeze, a sea of gold in the fields of North America, their heads heavy with seed, providing a rich crop for birds and people.

Here is some little known history of the glorious sunflower:

Native Americans began using wild sunflower about 8,000 years ago, grinding the seeds into a fine meal for breads and soups. They extracted the oil from the seeds to create sunflower butter that could be rolled into balls to make a convenient carry-along food for traveling. The hulls and petals were crushed to make dyes. Sunflower hulls were even steeped in boiling water to make a beverage.

The sunflower was much loved by the colonists but not used by them. It was treated merely as a garden flower and the knowledge of its many uses was lost or forgotten.

The sunflower is a truly an international plant. It is one of the most beloved flowers in Europe and was the subject of a famous painting by Vincent Van Gogh.

Russia led the way in making sunflower an edible crop about 60 years ago. They bred the sunflower to increase its oil content and make it more disease resistant. In 1966, a Russian-bred cultivar was introduced into the U.S. which began the first sustained U.S. commercial production of the oil seed-type sunflower.

Sunflowers have been a popular home and garden motif for more than 10 years. Their cheerful faces and bright colors adorn everything from tea towels to bird baths.

As a healthy bird food, black oil and striped sunflower seed are practically unbeatable; they draw birds of all kinds to backyard feeders. Pleasing, practical and healthy – perhaps it should be our national flower!