Canola

Growing up in Oklahoma I am use to seeing miles and miles of wheat fields. We have fields of hay, alfalfa, milo and corn.  We have acres of cattle-grazing fields.

Living in Kansas for years I saw the beauty in the endless corn fields and soybean fields. 

The green or gold in all of these fields was beautiful. The way the crops wave in the wind is beautiful.

Then I saw these fields.  Let me tell you....they are absolutely, unbelievably gorgeous. 

These fields surround the town where I teach.  I can see these fields out my classroom windows.

I tried to take pictures of the beauty, but the pictures do not do justice to the real thing.  The fields are the brightest yellow....almost a neon yellow-green.

I have never seen these before.  I had to ask what the fields were planted with.  The answer: Canola.  As in canola for canola oil.

As far as the eye can see, fields of canola.  I stopped my car and walked out into the fields to take the pictures. The plants are about two feet tall with the flowers being about the top 8 to 12 inches. The plants are thick and strong.

I was told they stay this brilliant color until harvest. It is such a bright yellow that it is hard to explain. Perhaps it is just the enormous amount of yellow, as each stem has so many flowers.

Yellow as far as the eye can see.  These fields would make wonderful photo-ops.
We're never too old to learn something new. I had no idea that canola was grown as a crop. I don't know where I thought it came from, but I certainly wasn't thinking of it as a crop. I had no idea we grew it in Oklahoma. I had no idea I would be able to spend an entire month looking out my classroom at such beauty.

These heart-healthy canola fields have made my little heart happy!