I live on a farm in Kansas, and Tom and Ray have perpetuated a common myth. Sunflowers do NOT follow the sun. Rather, around here anyway, the yellow flower heads face east all the time. So the answer to the puzzle (sunflowers) was correct, but only if you are traveling south through the middle of a field, and it does not change throughout the day. Only the leaves lean a little a little toward the sun, just like most sun-loving plants, and that’s not noticeable from a car. C’mon, Tom and Ray, how 'bout a little fact checking from time to time? You can find the information all over the web, but here is the relevant explanation from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunflower
I pointed this out when I answered the puzzler question. I answered that they must be looking for the answer sunflowers, but that it was incorrect because the mature sunflowers always face east; it’s only before they flower that they follow the sun. I guess nobody actually reads the puzzler answer submissions. I’m finding it difficult to justify listening to this show anymore.
However, it’s definitely possible to drive down a road and see yellow on one side and green on the other. So the solution is still correct.
And this is an old puzzler.
...it's definitely possible to drive down a road and see yellow on one side and green on the other. So the solution is still correct.Not when they explain that it has to do with heliotropism. Not when they explain that the sun being to the South is key, and the driving West is also key. It baffles me that they don't have someone verify these puzzlers before unleashing them on the audience. When I first heard the puzzler, I knew from it being Kansas and the yellow factor that they were talking about sunflowers, but I was skeptical because I recalled reading something about sunflowers facing one direction after blooming. It wouldn't be that hard to have someone spend 15 minutes researching whether the answer that was submitted with the original puzzler was in fact correct.
They’ve had a few bogus puzzles lately …
My first thought upon hearing this one was that many plants might tend to be yellow on the north side and green on the south side in the Northern hemisphere because the south side would get more sunlight. But I couldn’t think of a specific plant to name.
– Roger
This is what happens when you ruin a perfectly good answer with details.
Tom and Ray obviously don’t care. This isn’t even the first time they’ve used that puzzler.