Dix Park in Raleigh announced that their sunflowers have started to bloom as of July 9th. Plan on going during the next two weeks if you want to see the beautiful field of golden blooms.
If you are a bird watcher, there is an unusual bird at the park right now- a male painted bunting. Painted buntings are common on the coast, but they rarely make it this far inland. Apparently, this bird, known by local birders as Picasso, has been visiting Dix Park for the last four or five years. He might be snacking on the sunflowers now that they are in bloom. Otherwise, here is how to find him: if you park in Parking Lot A (close to the corner of Hunt Drive and Western Blvd), walk through the parking lot, away from Hunt Drive and parallel to Western Blvd. Picasso usually hangs out over there. He has quite a following, so look for the crowd with cameras that isn’t paying attention to the sunflowers!
Don’t forget about the Trolls in the park if you haven’t seen them already!
I’m not sure if I’m going to make it out there this year for the sunflowers. The picture above is from my visit in 2025. Let me know if you go!