Big Sunflower River

The Big Sunflower is a lazy, serpentine river

that meanders through the ecologically rich

and sparsely populated lowlands of northwest

Mississippi. Near Vicksburg, the Big Sunflower

joins the Yazoo River, which empties

into the Mississippi River shortly thereafter.

Despite extensive clearing for agriculture, the

basin retains vast areas of rich wetlands and

bottomland hardwood forests that teem with

wildlife and are an important destination for

wintering waterfowl and other migratory

birds. The Big Sunflower is home to one of the

world’s most abundant native mussel beds and

some 55 species of fish. The endangered pondberry,

one of the world’s rarest shrubs, is

found on the river’s banks.