Flowers in a front yard can add to an aesthetic sense of a house, but may also land the owner in court. A man in a Buffalo suburb was summoned last week, citing "sight obstruction" by the towering sunflowers at the intersection of his driveway and sidewalk.

Michael Hazen, the town's supervising code enforcement officer, said that the flowers were obstructing the view for it is "a very busy street with a lot of pedestrians on it."

The flowers line Samson's front yard, which is a few feet back from the sidewalk.

Samson, who bought his home last fall said, "I'm just trying to make it look nice."

"I drive a tow truck. I can still see when I pull out," he said. "You can see through the stalks."

On Thursday, neighborhood children posted signs in support of the blooming flowers and had collected nearly 400 signatures on a petition, many from motorists who pulled over near a stop sign. Samson is due in town court Tuesday. Hazen said the town is just looking for compliance with its rules about sight obstructions but could still fine Samson $250.