Rolling fields of golden sunflowers attracted thousands of people to a farm in rural Hidden Valley this time last year.

Lots of people have anxiously waited for the sunflowers to bloom again. We know, because dozens of you have reached out to us in the past week, asking when the right time is to go.

The answer is never.

What happened to the sunflowers?

If you ask local resident Sheila Rae Jeffers, she’ll tell you, “Due to the repeated disrespect to the farmer’s land and crop, he did not plant them this year.” Many others have echoed this theory online in recent days.

The farmer in question is Larry Hart, and he says: “I have no idea where they got that narrative.”

His land on Ralston Road near State Route 238, once teeming with canary-colored blooms, is now an alfalfa field. The reason why — birds. And boy, are they peckish for sunflower seeds.

“We tried everything under the sun to control the birds,” Hart told InMaricopa Tuesday. “We probably gave the birds 50% of the seeds last year.”

That’s a problem because Hart needs those seeds to sell to Cargill, a Minnesota based agricultural firm. Without that revenue, he can’t keep offering the free local attraction.

“There’s not a single sunflower on the entire property,” he conceded.

As for the prevailing narrative that he didn’t plant any flowers to spite rude people, Hart said, “There were some problem people. But for the number of cars that came through, they left the area in very good shape.”

If he can devise an effective method to control avian pests, Hart said he’ll consider bringing back the attraction in future years.

Speaking of last summer’s two large crops, he said: “It amazed me the number who came out to take photos. It boggles my mind.”