30 Acres Of Sunflowers Beginning To Bloom In Montgomery County: Photos

POOLESVILLE, MD — Tourists and locals alike are beginning to flock to the McKee Beshers Wildlife Management Area in Poolesville to view thirty acres of sunflowers beginning to bloom, according to Montgomery Community Media.

“People come from miles away and plan vacations well in advance to try and catch the view,” Candice Collison, a biologist for the Wildlife and Heritage Service at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, told Montgomery Community Media. “You can regularly see the fields full of amateur and professional photographers along with painters.”

The sunflowers are planted in nine different fields as a food source for wildlife like Mourning Doves. The McKee-Beshers WMA is a public hunting property and Maryland has a hunting season on Mourning Doves that opens September 1 every year, Collison said.

The peak weekend to see the sunflowers are July 22-23, but Collison said this weekend (July 15-16) is also an ideal viewing time. Sunflowers are usually in full bloom for two weeks.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources created a map of the Poolesville fields here. Visitors can find the largest field right off River Road with adjacent parking.

“Visitors need to keep in mind that this property is a Wildlife Management Area and not a park,” Collison said. “What this means is there are no public bathrooms, no garbage cans, no picnic tables or shelters, and there is the potential for exposure to poison ivy, mosquitoes and ticks. I recommend long pants and hiking shoes.”

Here are some of our favorite photos from the fields, found on Instagram:

Photo: Montgomery Community Media