Sunflowers

Kansas is known as the Sunflower State and the Sunflower is the state flower, eleven species grow in the state. In late Summer Sunflowers put on a colorful display along roadsides and on waste ground. Farmers in the state grow Sunflowers as a cash crop, usually planting them in wheat stubble in late June after the wheat has been harvested. Sunflower seeds have many uses, they are roasted and eaten, used as birdseed, and also processed into cooking oil which is low in saturated fat and high in Vitamin E.