Dorothea Dix Park sunflowers near peak bloom despite drought
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Dix Park sunflowers on July 8. Photo: Mary Helen Moore/Axios
Sunflowers at Dorothea Dix Park are beginning to bloom, with peak flowering expected soon despite months of drought.
Why it matters: The mid-summer bloom ignites an annual pilgrimage to Raleigh’s largest park that is widely documented on social media.
Between the lines: Drought has hung over the region for months, but sunflowers are moderately drought-tolerant plants, according to crop scientists.
- While buds have appeared, most have yet to pop open. The bloom typically peaks in mid-July and lasts a few weeks.
Zoom in: The 5-acre sunflower field is a habitat for pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Birds are popular visitors, too, and feed on the seeds into fall, long after the petals have dropped.
- Tens of thousands of people visit each year, according to the parks department.
If you go: The park is open daily from dawn to dusk. Admission is free.
- 1700 Umstead Drive.
What’s next: A celebratory event with food trucks, story time, a DJ and a violinist takes place Saturday at the sunflower field.