30 Sunflower Pictures That Radiate Beauty

Courtesy Andy Raupp

Hummingbird and Sunflower Pictures

“This is a photo I took of a ruby-throated hummingbird stopping by a sunflower in our yard. I planted lots of sunflowers in the spring to attract birds, butterflies, and bees. However I was surprised to see that hummingbirds were frequently visiting the sunflowers in the summer months. Later, I read that sunflower heads contain lots of nectar that hummingbirds enjoy drinking!” says Birds & Blooms reader Andy Raupp. After you finish looking at these sunflower pictures, check out the top 10 sunflower varieties to grow.

Sunflowers in the Sunlight

Reader Carol Garza shared this spectacular photo of sunflowers in full bloom on a gorgeous summer day.

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Garden Pollinator

“I caught this busy honeybee as it was working diligently to collect pollen off of a bright sunflower. Its legs were so heavy with pollen; I’m not sure how it kept itself in the air! But it kept humming away, collecting the pollen until he moved on to the next sunflower,” says Susan Grove.

Fluffy Flower Petals

Peggy Schafer shared this photo of a Teddy Bear sunflower that she grew from seed in her Michigan garden.

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Brilliant Blue Bunting

“I took this photograph of a male indigo bunting resting on a sunflower at McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area in Poolesville, Maryland. I chose this photograph because of the brilliant colors, the rich contrast between the blue, yellow, and green, and the tack-sharp detail of this beautiful bird,” says James Stone.

Nectar for Monarchs

“In late summer, while we were looking for butterflies visiting wildflowers, my wife and I came upon a large cluster of common sunflowers with a few monarchs. They tolerated us for close approach as we took sunflower pictures,” says Gail Huddle.

Quick Glimpse

“I took this photo of a black swallowtail in northern Minnesota at a sunflower farm. As I was trying to position myself to get a good angle, I turned and saw the butterfly on one of the flowers. I had to be quick, since in an instant the butterfly was gone,” says Nancy Jahnel.

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

“This beautiful field of sunflowers caught my eye while driving home. They were such a beautiful bright spot in an otherwise dreary day. We had several days of torrential rain, flooding and dark skies. The sunflowers seemed to be stretching toward the sky in the hope of one ray of sunshine. They made me smile and honestly made my whole day better,” says Lori Feeney.

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Buckeye on Blooms

“While I was visiting a sunflower field in our town last summer, I spotted this beautiful common buckeye butterfly. I love the contrast of colors on the buckeye with the sunflower beneath it,” says Catherine Melloy.

Backroad Beauty

“My wife and I were out for a drive near Reading, Pennsylvania, and saw the field of sunflowers from a distance. I had to to take a side road to track them down but we were rewarded with the beautiful blooms pictured,” says Jon Haas.

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Fields of Gold

“I love seeing a huge field of sunflowers in the summer. It gives the landscape a pop of color beside green of the grass and trees all around us. So after driving by this field and another one for about three weeks, I finally stopped along side of the road to get some photos. They were just one of many signs that it was summertime,” says Laurie Painter.

Head for the Country

“This is a field of sunflowers by my house in the country. The man that owns the farm grow fields every year dedicated to his passed wife. It’s a beautiful unique place. The sunflowers are so large and beautiful…it seems as if they go on forever,” says Kim Crowley.

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Shy Sunflower

“My friend’s husband plants a field of sunflowers for the birds on his farm in western Kentucky. She and I spent a very hot July morning taking photos around the farm. This sweet little face looked as if it was playing peek-a-boo among all the other flowers,” says Stephanie Young.

Happy Flowers

I took this photo at Badger Creek State Park in Van Meter, Iowa, in July during their sunflower field bloom. There is always something special about being in a sunflower field. They are such happy flowers with bumblebees buzzing around and being an eye-catching yellow.  Sunflowers have such a neat pattern in their center and it makes for some interesting photos. This was taken with a Canon 6D using a 100mm macro lens,” says Mary Junk.

Sweet Sunflower Treat

“I captured this beautiful ruby-throated hummingbird dancing among the sunflowers as it sipped their sweet nectar. Sunflowers and hummingbirds always bring as smile to my face. The photo was taken in the summer on my farm in Glen Spey, New York,” says Martha Tully.

A Different Type of Sunflower Picture

“I took this photo in July at a local park. Just a nice day to walk around using my macro lens with an Olympus em10 mark ii camera. I like the side profile of this sunflower,” says Jennifer Christensen.

Stormy Weather

Jennifer Novak shared this photo of her husband’s sunflower fields right before a storm.

Sunflower Pictures With a Red Barn

“We visit our son in Maryland and usually choose ‘off the beaten path’ roads. This was one of the countryside scenes we came upon. It is special because Maryland is the Sunflower state,” says Jancie Harrison.

Moth Moment

“I took this shot with my Canon T5i using a Tamron 150-300 zoom lens. This white-lined sphinx moth is a frequent visitor to the native sunflowers in our garden,” says Mark Fuller.

Keeping Watch

“I could not resist this field of sunflowers, but the lonely one standing on its own in the back caught my eye like it was guarding the field!” says Lydia Williams.

Busy Bee

Ashley Waters shared this photo of a bee in his happy place on a volunteer sunflower.

Sunflower Scenery

“Two summers ago, a local farmer decided to grow this stunning field of sunflowers and I literally happened upon it while driving around locally looking for scenes to photograph. It ranks as one of my all time favorite accidental discoveries,” says Elisa Shaw.

Profiles of Sunflowers

“These sunflowers stopped me in my tracks one sunny day last summer while riding through the country in Olanta, South Carolina. I had to stop and take a picture of all their glory.” says Cynthia Walker.

Lucky Ladybug Picture

“I brought some of my backyard sunflowers in the house to enjoy. Imagine my delight when I discovered a lady beetle had hitched a ride inside. They say lady beetles bring good luck. And maybe that is so, since I was very lucky to get this shot with my Nikon D3200,” says Dawn Buchanan.

Bold and Beautiful Sunflowers

“This bold sunflower and her companions beautify the summer gardens of the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. I used my Nikon d500 to capture this lovely grouping as it echoed the happiness I was feeling to be enjoying a warm summer evening in nature with my own friends,” says Danna Cable.

Majestic Monarch

“Last fall I visited a sunflower field in Newville, Pennsylvania, with my wife, and she noticed some monarch butterflies in the area, too. After a few minutes of trying, I was able to capture this image using my Canon 5D Mark iv camera. I enjoy taking pictures of both butterflies and sunflowers, so was particularly pleased to get both in one shot,” says Rick Hess.

Sunflower Pictures at Sunset

“Every year after the spring wheat comes off, a local farm family plants as a second crop a huge field of sunflowers. One of my favorite times to visit is at sunset, because there is just something amazing about standing in a field of sunny yellow sunflowers, listening to the faint hum of bees and watching the flowers turn golden yellow as the sun goes down,” says Susan Grove.

Painted Lady and Bumblebee

“I took this photo while out in the garden with my 5-year-old daughter. We were picking cucumbers and spotted this beautiful painted lady butterfly land on one of our Dwarf Incredible sunflowers. It’s special because it reminds me of the moments my children and I share in the garden, and it’s lovely how the butterfly and bumblebee are both sharing the space,” says Catherine Pouria.

Sunflowers on the Farm

“On the way back home from a photo club outing I came across two fields with sunflowers in them. These fields usually have corn or hay in them. This year was different. It was a rainy day and very dark and cloudy so I only got a few good sunflower pictures. So I went back when it was a nice day with lots of sun. I love how they all line up with the trees in the background,” says Laurie Painter.

Spider on a Sunflower

“I was cycling in Brooker Creek Headwaters Nature Preserve, Hillsborough County, Florida, in early summer. In a stand of weeds alongside the trail, I saw a single small sunflower. A bird likely dropped a seed from a neighborhood bird feeder. I stopped and shot three or four photos with my Canon T1i with a 55-250 zoom lens, and then was back on my bicycle. At home, I put the sunflower pictures on my computer screen and realized I had captured a terrific photo bomber. Perched on the bloom was a green lynx spider, the beautiful lime green color of the spider contrasting perfectly with the bloom’s bright yellow center,” says Gail Diederich.