Where to find sunflowers in the Des Moines metro in 2021.

In July of 2020, thousands of visitors flocked to the sunflower field at Badger Creek – but if you return to the same exact spot this summer, the sunflowers will not be there.

Where did the sunflowers go?

I’ve been visiting the sunflower patch at Badger Creek State Recreation State Area for the last 7 years and usually, they alternate the location of the sunflower patch between the west side and the east side of the lake. Earlier, I reported that I did not find any sunflowers on either side of the lake – and I was wrong, there are now reports of sunflowers blooming on the west side of Badger Creek.

The sunflower patch at Badger Creek Park after the sun goes down and the stars come out.

Q1. So how did you go about looking for where they were moved to?
A1. I used the information from the post Where to find sunflowers in Iowa – and I mapped out the potential locations and then went to visit each spot

Q2. Do you have a list of locations that DID NOT have sunflowers? (That way I can save time by not checking these locations)
A2.

Yes, here’s the Google Map locations for the exact locations that I have confirmed do NOT have sunflowers in 2021.

Badger Creek – east plot

Big Creek State Park – plot one, plot two, plot three, plot four, plot five

Hendrickson Marsh in Story County south plot

Skunk River (east Polk County) plot one and plot two

Q3. So where are the sunflowers for 2021? and what can you tell us about each location?
A3. In the Des Moines metro area, I was able to find 4 DNR sunflower locations.

Location #1: Near Colfax, IowaGoogle Map location
Is Parking available: No
Are sunflowers near the road: No, about 1/4 mile into the field
Is there a trail leading to the sunflowers? No
Are the sunflowers spaced apart and in rows (like at Badger Creek in previous years, so you can easily move through them)? No, there is no space between them. It’s hard to get to them and even harder to get between them.
Were they blooming as of July 5th? Only a few. My best guess is that it will be at least a couple of weeks before most of them bloom.

Location #2: Near Runnels, IowaGoogle Map location
Is Parking available: Yes, but only for a few vehicles
Are sunflowers near the road: No, about 1/4 mile into the field
Is there a trail leading to the sunflowers? Yes
Are the sunflowers spaced apart and in rows (like at Badger Creek in previous years, so you can easily move through them)? No, there is no space between them.
Were they blooming as of July 5th? None of them were blooming, my best guess is that it will be at least a couple of weeks before most of them bloom.

Location #3: Near Hartford, IowaGoogle Map location
Is Parking available: Yes, on the gravel road, which is a dead-end road.
Are sunflowers near the road: Yes
Are the sunflowers spaced apart and in rows (like at Badger Creek in previous years, so you can easily move through them)? No, there is no space between them.
Were they blooming as of July 5th? There were no blooms on July 5th. My best guess is that it will be at least a couple of weeks before most of them bloom.

Location #4: Near Van Meter, IowaGoogle Map location
Is Parking available: Yes.
Are sunflowers near the road: Yes
Were they blooming as of July 14th? Yes, most of the sunflowers were in full bloom.

Location #5: Hendrickson Marsh Lake (special thanks to Chris Ewan for the information) Google Map location
Is Parking available: Yes.
Are sunflowers near the road: No, you’ll need to walk south of the parking lot to the sunflower patch.

Q4. Which direction do the sunflowers typically face?
A4. There’s a common myth that sunflowers rotate with the sun and this is wrong – most sunflowers consistently face east. This means that the morning sunlight will shine directly on the flowers and the evening sunlight will backlight the flowers.

Q5. I have never visited a sunflower patch – what’s it like, what should I expect?
A5. First, it is beautiful, but I will also warn you that it’s not always enjoyable…. If it’s 90 to 95 degrees outside with a light breeze, you might find that to be enjoyable. But if enter the sunflower patch, it can often be 10 degrees hotter and there is no breeze at all. On top of that, its filled with bees, flies, and other insects, who are also attracted to the sunflowers.

Q6. What’s your favorite time to view the sunflowers?
A6. For myself, I like both the early morning and after sunset. During the early morning, the sunlight shines directly on the flowers as they all face towards the sun and there are fewer people (of course, you can’t capture the sunrise and the open faces of the sunflowers at the same time then). I also like after sunset, again fewer people in the fields and it’s certainly more enjoyable in the fields. It’s also pretty magical when you have the stars out over the top of the field!

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