Who doesn’t love a sunflower? From towering giants to dwarf varieties, these bee magnets have graced our summer gardens for centuries. In the language of flowers, the sunflower says, “My eyes see only you.”

It originated in South and Central America and migrated north with the conquistadors, who took it back to Europe in the 1500s. Incan temples in Peru featured its image.

Maximilian’s sunflower is a wild version that provides valuable fodder for grazing livestock in Central and North America. American colonists used them for yellow and orange dyes.

The flower buds can be cooked and eaten like artichokes, while seed kernels provide phosphorous, potassium and protein. Native Americans used the seeds and a butter made from them as an “energy cake.”

They are a diuretic and an expectorant. Stomach pains can be treated with the roots. Sunflowers were also known for antimalarial properties. Norwegians wore a bag of the seeds around their necks to prevent smallpox. Today, the oil has culinary, cosmetic and industrial uses.

Of course, the seeds are a favorite food for our feathered friends. Sunflowers can be used effectively as a “lure crop” to keep birds out of your garden. Plant a large plot as far from your precious veggies as possible.

Several cultures consider the sunflower good luck. It’s also a useful divination tool. Sleep with a sunflower under your pillow, and before the sun sets the next day, the truth will be revealed to you.

As with so many things, the Greeks have an origin story for this beauty.

According to their mythology, a maiden named Clytie fell in love with Apollo. Every time he passed overhead in his fiery sun chariot, she stood in her garden and gazed at him longingly, even though she had chores to attend to.

Apollo, who made a point of shining brightly so people on earth couldn’t actually see him, eventually got fed up with the girl’s foolishness. He flung one of his sun arrows at her, and she turned into a sunflower on the spot.

To this day, she faces east in the morning and west in the evenings, following the path of Apollo. In some versions of the story, it was not Apollo but other gods who took pity on her and turned her into a sunflower. In light of this legend, the sunflower’s virtues of faith, loyalty and adoration make perfect sense.

Plant some sunflowers for the birds, some for the bees and some for yourself.

– A reference librarian, Lisa Karen Miller has been gardening and researching plant lore for many years. Have plant lore to share? Email lisalisa13131313@gmail.com.