The metro’s sunflower patches are as popular as they are elusive. Full bloom only lasts about 10 days, so it takes some planning to make sure you catch your favorite spot in all its glory. Thanks to the help of local experts, LN has the inside scoop on when and where local sunflower fields will be blooming this summer – plus where to see them at area farms.
FIND THE FIELDS
The sunflower patches that have become a claim to fame for the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area (801 Strodtman) were originally planted for reasons more practical (and more morbid) than creating a sunshiney backdrop for family photos at the Spanish Lake locale. According to Dan Zarlenga, St. Louis regional media specialist at the Missouri Department of Conservation, the MDC began planting the fields in service of mourning dove management; when the flowers go to seed in September, they attract the doves, and the tall stalks provide cover for hunters. After finding the flowering fields attract visitors and photographers in the summer, however, the MDC began planting additional fields – about 10 to 15 fields total – with staggered bloom times so that visitors can continuously find flowers from early July to mid- to late-August.
Zarlenga says the MDC maintains signage on Columbia Bottom’s 4,300-acre grounds directing visitors to where the flowers are currently blooming. The patches planted for dove management are further off the road, but the path is flat and not difficult for walking. Those planted specifically for viewing are closer to the road and easy to spot. To visit, take the Riverview Drive exit off Interstate Highway 270 and drive north on Riverview Drive for about 3 miles…