NEWBURY — A sea of yellow under bright blue skies was the first thing visitors saw Monday morning when crossing the bridge at Colby Farm over to its iconic sunflower field, which opened to the general public Thursday.
“We had a great weekend,” owner Elizabeth Knight said. “Lots of people, good weather. The flowers are beautiful. We are going to get some rain over the next couple days, so we just hope that it’s not too heavy, although we do need the rain.”
Highlighted by clear sunny rays from above, the sunflower field was a hub of activity Monday morning, with the parking lot nearly full by 10 a.m.
Walking from the lot to the field, many families stopped to take photos, with young children eagerly lining themselves against a sunflower measuring stick to the right of the bridge leading to the field.
Knight said they added a few extra photo ops this year.
“We have a bathtub out there,” Knight said. “We got some things they can put their heads through and take their pictures. We got a measuring stick out there for them. We added cornhole this year.”
At the sunflower field itself, dozens of small groups were lined up along the first row of flowers, with some set up with easels for painting and others posing for group photos. A few groups laid out blankets away from the flowers, appearing content to drink in the scenery farther from the crowds.
Visiting from Boston to meet up with some photography friends, Mary Cuddy said it was her first time seeing the sunflowers after her friends insisted she come check them out.
“They said that this was a great place, and it is,” she said.
Cuddy said she was blown away by the scale of it all.
“It’s enormous,” Cuddy said. “It’s beautiful. It’s amazing. And even with all these people, you can still do your own thing.”
Taking a moment to adjust her camera, she described the photos she was taking.
“I started with the wide angle to get all the flowers with the blue sky in the back,” Cuddy said. “That uses one lens, and then I switched now to a macro lens to get in very close to the bees and the sides of the flowers, and it’s really beautiful.”
Dropping in from Amesbury, Tina Peel said she and her husband, Robert, come to see the flowers each year.
“We like walking through the sunflowers, and we always get the best pictures,” she said.
She said she would recommend everyone come out to see them at least once.
“The memories will last a lifetime,” Tina Peel said.
Farther into the field near the first bend of flowers, Erin Wise was monitoring her two young children as they chased each other.
“They love to explore,” Wise said. “They want to see them every year.”
Traveling from Salem, she said visiting the sunflowers has become something of a family tradition, joking that being tall and blonde herself she fit right in.
“They’ve always been my favorite,” she said.
Wise said she loved taking photos of her kids having fun in the flowers.
“Mostly memories for myself, but if there’s a good one, I’ll throw it in the Christmas card,” Wise said.
Knight said the field will be open through Sunday, when they will have their annual cutdown party from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“We’ll park you out back, and we’ll sell you a bag, and you take what you want home,” Knight said.
Live music will be provided by Foo Fighters cover band Foo Family starting at 1 p.m., and at 4 p.m. there will be a pie eating contest.
Matt Petry covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: mpetry@northofboston.com.