Napanee, Ont. sunflower field gains lots of social attention

Sunflowers make for a great “selfie” backdrop throughout the summer, but the bright flowers have a short window before they are harvested in the fall.

“We do crop these as a harvest and we know that people take photos and do that thing, so we may as well put it near the road for easy access,” says Holly Kaiser of Kaiser Lake Farms.

The owners of the Napanee, Ont., farm, Holly and Max Kaiser, are encouraging the public to come out and witness the beauty of their flowers before they’re gone.

“Lo and behold, people want to stop and take a picture,” says Max.

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The sunflowers have become a hit on Instagram, ever since Max first began planting them six years ago.

“I can’t attribute it to anything specific,” says Max. “I’m sure COVID has contributed because there’s a limit to what people can do, but it’s been growing every year since six, seven years ago.”

The farmers say the flowers weren’t meant to be a tourist attraction, the bright, blooming fields actually play an important role in crop rotation.

“I never plant a field with the same crop two years in a row,” says Max. “So number one I’m always rotating, and that’s a part of the fit for the sunflowers in our rotation. It’s a different plant, so it helps the soil differently than other plants.”

Now, the flowers also help to put smiles on faces, with bright, cheerful pictures on countless social media posts.

If you’ve missed the sunflower season this year, don’t worry, Holly says they’ll be back.

“Every year we plan to continue to plant sunflowers and keep them at the roadside for people’s personal use and enjoyment.”