A single sunflower sprouted on the Diefenbaker Bridge in Prince Albert. (Submitted photo/Kaitlynn Head)

By Teena Monteleone

Vibrant life in a concrete jungle

Solitary sunflower delights drivers

Aug 26, 2022 | 11:41 AM

If you’ve driven north across the Diefenbaker Bridge in Prince Albert, chances are you’ve seen it.

A solitary sunflower growing in the middle of the road, standing defiantly, inches away from the non-stop roar of heavy trucks and other traffic crossing the North Saskatchewan River.

You can’t help but smile when you see it and immediately begin to wonder how exactly it came to be there.

Was it transplanted there? Not likely according to William Hrycan who is the horticultural editor for The Gardener Magazine, a quarterly publication featuring expert gardening information for hardy Canadian growing conditions.

“Sunflowers don’t transplant well. Their roots are so deep and without a lot of soil it can be a difficult process,” Hrycan explained.

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So, was it a wayward remnant of a salty snack spouted from the mouth of a ball player on their way to Lakeland Ford park? Nope. Hrycan said it’s not possible to grow plants from roasted sunflower seeds but you can grow it from sunflowers in bird seed, as long as the outer shell is present.

Maybe a seed slipped from the beak of a bird flying from the East Flat to the West Flat of P.A.

“There’s a chance a bird also stockpiled the seeds in a crack for the winter and forgot about it,” Hrycan said.

Or, maybe it dropped from the cheeks of a squirrel resting in the ditch after dangerously dodging a steady stream of traffic?

Several residents have stopped to admire the sunflower and snap a photo. (Submitted photo/Tracy Cassels)

Regardless of how it got there, this single sunflower soaking up the sunlight is also brightening up the days of anyone who sees it. So much so, that Prince Albert resident, Tracy Cassels, was inspired to capture a photo of it.

“My friend Stephanie lost her Mom to cancer and this sunflower made me think of her. She fundraises for Overarian Cancer Canada and makes cards with flowers on them and it just made me think of her Mom who shows up in so many places,” said Cassels. “Even through the darkness, beauty appears.”

When you see it, perhaps you’ll take pleasure in the simplicity of its beauty, oblivious to the bustle of the daily grind surrounding it. Or, maybe there’s another gentle reminder being planted in our thoughts.

It’s easy to stand with the crowd. It takes courage to stand alone.

—

teena.monteleone@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @monteleoneteena