Country diary: The sunflowers are popular on this golden afternoon | Susie White

Allendale, Northumberland: These giants of the veg garden have drawn in bees, butterflies, and flies of every sizeAll summer long I watched the sunflowers grow in strength. From fragile seedlings they surged into stout-stemmed plants before erupting in huge sunbursts above my head. Now their plump cushions are packed with developing seed and their outer "petals" - the ray florets - are drying out and twisting.As with other daisies, these flowerheads are made up of ray florets and disc florets. The brightly coloured outer band are a signal to pollinators, drawing them into a core of hundreds of tiny individual flowers. These are arranged with economical perfection, spiralling out in complex mathematical patterns, soft to the touch as I run my hand over them. Continue reading...