Do Sunflowers Exchange Energy When It’S Cloudy?

Sunflowers do not face each other to “share their energy” in cloudy weather, according to Stacey Harmer, a professor in the Department of Plant Biology at the University of California-Davis. Sunflowers are known to track the sun across the sky during the day, so on a cloudy day, they may just be observing the sun. This property of facing the sun is mostly observed in young flowerheads and generally stops once the flower starts to bloom (mature sunflowers generally face east).

Research shows that sunflowers rely on one another for certain physiological functions, such as ensuring minimal nutrient competition and organizing in a row in a way that maximizes photosynthesis. However, a group of scientists believes they are working with each other so that they do not compete for the light. Sunflowers follow the sun’s course even on a cloudy day or a rainy day, sensing the sun’s radiation, which can’t become totally zero on those days.

The sentiment shared is that when there is no sunshine or light to turn to, the sunflowers turn to each other to share their energy/light. However, on cloudy days immature sunflowers still track the sun’s path whether it is shining through a cloud cover or not. They do not turn toward each other. Sunflowers face the sun, but when it’s cloudy and grey, they face each other and share their energy.

In conclusion, the claim that sunflowers face each other to “share their energy” in cloudy weather is false based on research by Stacey Harmer, a professor in the Department of Plant Biology at the University of California-Davis. Sunflowers operate on their own and do not face each other to share their energy or light.