Health, Science & Environment

Photos: Sunflowers are back in bloom at Columbia Bottoms. Here’s where to find them

St. Louis Public Radio | By Brian Munoz

Published July 9, 2022 at 7:00 AM CDT

Cora Young, 8, holds her youngest brother Oliver, 4 months, as her brother Charlie, 5, stands next to her while their mother Jessica Young, all of Edwardsville, makes a portrait on Friday, July 8, 2022, at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake. — Cora Young, 8, holds her brother, Oliver, 4 months, as her brother Charlie, 5, stands next to her while their mother, Jessica Young, all of Edwardsville, makes a portrait on Friday at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake.

July marks the season of firework spectaculars, summer fun and massive sunflower blooms in north St. Louis County.

The Missouri Department of Conservation for years has planted sunflowers in more than a dozen fields throughout the 4,300-acre Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake.

The fields are part of the department's habitat management for mourning doves. The area becomes a popular destination for dove hunters each September.

“The large flowers supply seeds that entice the birds, and their lofty stalks create cover for the hunters who pursue them,” the agency explains on its website. “Sunflowers also benefit a wide variety of other birds and pollinators.”

The blooms typically remain open from early July to mid-August, depending on weather conditions.

The site has become popular with for nature photographers and selfie enthusiasts alike. Drivers can easily spot the golden fields from Riverview Drive, north of Interstate 270.

A bumblebee buries its face into a sunflower while collecting pollen on Friday at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake.

Wanda Randolph, 66, of Fenton, stretches out to make a photograph of an expansive field of sunflowers on Friday, July 8, 2022, at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake. — Wanda Randolph, 66, of Fenton, stretches to make a photograph of an expansive field of sunflowers on Friday at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake.

Sunflowers bloom on Friday, July 8, 2022, at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake. Missouri Department of Conservation staff have been planting sunflowers for years as part of their management for mourning doves, which inhabit the area each September. — Sunflowers bloom on Friday at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake. Missouri Department of Conservation staff have been planting sunflowers for years as part of their management for mourning doves, which inhabit the area each September.

An Indigo Bunting perches on a sunflower on Friday, July 8, 2022, at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake. — An Indigo Bunting perches on a sunflower on Friday at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake.

A bird perches on a sunflower on Friday, July 8, 2022, at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake. — A bird perches on a sunflower on Friday at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area.

A bumblebee buries its face into a sunflower while collecting pollen on Friday, July 8, 2022, at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake. — A bumblebee buries its face into a sunflower while collecting pollen on Friday at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake.

A Dickcissel bird takes off after sitting on a sunflower on Friday, July 8, 2022, at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake. — A Dickcissel bird takes off after sitting on a sunflower on Friday in Spanish Lake.

Dan McKeever. 69, makes a photograph of Michelle McKeever, 63, and Murray, their 8-year-old Beagle, all of Affton, in front of a field of sunflowers on Friday, July 8, 2022, at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake. — Dan McKeever. 69, makes a photograph of Michelle McKeever, 63, and Murray, their 8-year-old beagle, all of Affton, in front of a field of sunflowers on Friday at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area.

Charlie Young, 5, of Edwardsville, squeezes his way through a sunflower field on Friday, July 8, 2022, at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake. — Charlie Young, 5, of Edwardsville, squeezes his way through a sunflower field on Friday at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake.

Don Take, 76, takes a selfie alongside Karen Take, 68, both of Glen Carbon, on Friday, July 8, 2022, at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake. — Don Take, 76, takes a selfie alongside Karen Take, 68, both of Glen Carbon, on Friday at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake.

A sign designating an upcoming sunflower field is staked into the ground on Friday, July 8, 2022, at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake. — A sign designating an upcoming sunflower field is staked into the ground on Friday at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake.

Brian Munoz is a staff photojournalist and multimedia reporter at St. Louis Public Radio. You can reach him by email at bmunoz@stlpr.org and follow his work on Instagram and Twitter at @brianmmunoz.