Didn't know a single sunflower could make 2,000 seeds until my neighbor's bird feeder exploded
So I planted one sunflower last spring just for fun, nothing special, and by August it was dropping seeds everywhere. My neighbor laughed and said wait until those hit the feeder, and I'm like okay sure. Three weeks later I found out that one single flower head can carry up to 2,000 seeds, according to some extension office PDF I found at 11pm. Now I have volunteer sunflowers sprouting in my gutters, my lawn, and honestly maybe my soul. Has anyone else been ambushed by a plant they thought was harmless?
Two thousand seeds sounds like a lot until you realize most of them never sprout. Birds eat them, squirrels bury them, and the ones that do land in your gutters usually dry out before they get going. The real problem is you planted it close to a feeder, which just hands the birds a free buffet and spreads the mess around your yard. Next time put that sunflower way out back and the volunteers stay in one spot instead of taking over your lawn and your soul. A plant is only harmful if you give it an easy path to spread.