Face East

for my sons and grandson

🌻

face east helianthus  
light lover sunflower 
my handsome one 
open your heart to the morning sun 

aim high sun flyer 
sun tracker sunflower 
my valiant love 
turn your view to the sky above 

gaze west breeze dancer 
seed sender sunflower 
blossom so fair 
cast your love on the evening air 

stand tall rooted one 
earth builder sunflower 
my hopeful child 
trust the dark, see light in the wild 

---

Heliotropism is a fascinating phenomenon seen in young sunflowers (helianthus) who face east at dawn and then slowly turn west as the sun moves across the sky.  At night, these beautiful flowers return their gaze to the east and await the dawn.

Scientists have figured out that the movement of sunflowers is driven by genes that respond to light and circadian rhythms. Their twisting movement is accomplished by uneven stem growth. During daylight hours, one side of the stem grows longer, and at night, the other side grows to compensate. (1) This may explain why fully grown mature sunflowers stop tracking the sun and only face east.

Sunflower behaviour provides a compelling analogy of love and hope. By turning east during the night, it is as if sunflowers are expressing their faith that the sun will rise again. And if so, what a beautiful message they offer to humans, that in your darkest hours, believe the light will return.

As we discover more about the behaviour of photosynthetic beings, we can better appreciate that their life’s work is much like our own—to find sustenance and grow strong, to build and support a safe living environment and to successfully reproduce.  Like humans and other animals, plants build communities and cooperate with each other by adapting where they spread their branches above ground and send their roots below. And of course we know they are vital to all of our survival because they produce the oxygen we need to breathe, reduce the impact of carbon emissions and restore natural ecosystems.

Nevertheless, we should be cautious about interpreting plant behaviour solely in terms of how it relates to the human experience. If we are to work collectively to combat climate disruption, we must let go of our exaggerated sense of self-importance and stop interpreting plant behaviour in human terms alone. The time has come to rethink traditional scientific and industrial farming methods that focus on interpreting plants purely in terms of resource extraction.

We must accept that plants live their lives and respond to their environments in ways that may not even be possible for us to understand or even perceive. By letting go of our own needs and working with plants on their own terms as allies we can build a deeper, more harmonious and mutually beneficial relationship.

Our photosynthetic siblings have much to teach us about how to forge a sustainable future. As witches, herbalists and wise women have always known, we must learn to respect and build allyship with them. Call it “woo woo” if you will, but let’s open our hearts and learn how to communicate with plants at a deeper spiritual level.   

(1) Atamian HS, Creux NM, et.al. Circadian regulation of sunflower heliotropism, floral orientation and pollinator visits. SCIENCE 5 Aug 2016 Vol 353, Issue 6299 pp. 587-590. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf9793

---

Note: The sunflower is the national flower of the people of Ukraine. This poem is also dedicated to them in their ongoing struggle to defend themselves against unprovoked attacks by Russia.

See also:

Kennedy M. The Mystery of Why Sunflowers Turn to Follow the Sun — Solved. The Two-Way, NPR August 5, 2016.

Ljubotina M, Cahill J. Sunflower, in Ryan JC, Vierira P and Gagliano M, The Mind of Plants: Narratives of Vegetal Intelligence. 2021.
Schlanger, Z. The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth. Harper, May 2024

Check out this ongoing arts project that features women farmers engaged in sustainable farming practices in the Ottawa / Outaouais Region: Sowing the Future: Women Farmers + EcoAgriculture.

And if you want to delve deeper into the subject of permaculture, regenerative design and find out how to become an earth activist consider Earth Activist Training founded by the wonderful Starhawk.

---

Image adapted with Prisma Oil, Diane Perazzo