The beautiful Tuscan landscape of gold, deep green and rusty red is dotted here and there with brilliant carpets of yellow green--fields of sunflowers. Whereas these flowers once turned in unison to follow the sun, so that the entire field changed color in the course of the day as the yellow petals turned toward or away from the viewer, today they are tilted every which way in confusion. Agrobusiness has bred the flower heads to produce more seed by taking out the gene that allows them to tilt toward the sun as the day progresses. Someone decided that used up too much energy and wasn't good for profits. Juliet remarked that she believes the flowers still know where the sun is, and try to turn their faces toward it, but they now lack the strength to do it. So now they stand in confusion across the landscape, drooping their heavy heads in all directions.
I have wild sunflowers in my garden back in Hampton. Perhaps one day I will bring the seeds and send them out across Italy to breed rebellion in the sunflower realm and free the next generation of these flowers from their bondage. Perhaps someday again we will see the stately dance of these majestic flowers as they follow their king in his daily progress across the blue Tuscan sky.
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