This past Christmas my husband received (courtesy of our daughter and her hubby) an assortment of sunflower seeds for a gift. One of the varieties that he planted, which we had never heard of before, was a Mexican Sunflower, which recently blossomed in all its brilliance.
Who knew this would turn out to not only be beautiful flower, but also a favorite of the Swallowtails.
Such loveliness.
I guess you could say we are now celebrating Christmas in August!
Backyard Bird Nerd 
I had never heard of that variety of sunflower either — stunning. Great photos. What a thoughtful Christmas gift. Gives me an idea for this coming Christmas.
It was a fun gift! We have asked for a repeat this year. 🙂
I have planted seeds of these several times & gloried in their radiance. The photos of butterflies at their dinners are all just glorious, but I especially love your first one in which you captured the velvety fuzz on the stem of this exquisite sunflower.
I think I love them most when the sky clouds over just before a rain, and their colors just pop against the dull backdrop.
These are beautiful. I think I’ve seen this flower in mass plantings at some public place somewhere. I can’t remember where. I think these would be fun to plant next summer. Thanks for reminding me!
You won’t regret it. They are so bright!
How beautiful, thank you for sharing!
My pleasure!
Staggeringly beautiful photos of God’s amazing handiwork
I’ve had this one on my TBR since last year and hope to finally read it this winter. The cover is what drew me in initally, so I am happy to hear you enjoyed it. Wonderful review.