What is sunflower?

A sunflower is a big, bright plant that turns its head to follow the sun, just like you might turn your face when you see something fun.

Imagine you're playing outside on a sunny day, and you have a favorite toy, you keep looking at it as it moves around. That’s kind of what a sunflower does! It has a big, yellow flower head, which is full of tiny flowers all stuck together, like a bunch of little suns.

A sunflower starts as a small seed in the soil. When it gets enough water and sunlight, it grows up, first a tall green stem, then leaves, and finally that big yellow head at the top. The seeds inside the flower head can grow into new sunflowers, just like how you might plant a seed from your favorite fruit to make more of them.

The sunflower turns its head during the day, this is called "following the sun." At night, it turns back. Scientists think it does this because it wants to catch as much sunlight as possible, which helps it grow strong and healthy.