Prairie Sunflower is a slender annual native to the Great Plains and western United States, growing 2–5 feet tall in sandy and dry soils. Its flowers are smaller than Common Sunflower but equally cheerful, with yellow ray petals surrounding a dark reddish-brown central disk. It is well adapted to drought and disturbance, often colonizing sandy roadsides and dunes. Prairie Sunflower has been used in breeding programs to improve cultivated sunflower varieties.
Best time to see a Prairie Sunflower
The best time to see a Prairie Sunflower is May–September, when about 64% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 2,673 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
Not certain it is a Prairie Sunflower? What plant is this? walks through what to check first and the lookalikes that catch people out.
Recent Prairie Sunflower sightings near you
Live, research-grade observations from iNaturalist. Allow location to center the map on you.
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