Jim Carlock said:

Thanks much. I've got a few more sunflowers growing. One in
particular, the leaves are about 8" round, the stalk is about 5/8"
thick and it's a good 3 feet tall. The leaves span maybe a 2 foot
diameter if you look at it from the top. I was pretty proud of the
other sunflower that the squirrels(?) nabbed. I think it grew too
fast, though because it started leaning over the fence and the
stem wasn't strong enough to hold itself up.

Hmm...the mention of leaning on a fence suggests...

Well,I seem to recall my neighbor said she watched a groundhog
clip off and devour theflowers on her sunflowers while sitting on
top of the fence they were planted along. Despite their looks they
are good climbers, and I've seen one sunning itself in a maple tree,
and seen signs of them feeding up in mulberry trees. (Mulberry
leaves are one of their favorite foods, at least in my neighborhood.)
--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)