Do you deadhead your flowers to encourage blooming and make them tidy? I used to, but when I realized that birds love to mine the seed heads, I quit. Even though it's early summer, some plants already have seed heads that attract colorful birds especially Goldfinches. They swarm the Black-eyed Susans and Catnip. This is the reason Goldfinches nest later than most birds--availability of seeds makes feeding their young a lot easier.
Goldfinches aren't the only birds that flock to seed heads. I didn't realize until yesterday that their cousins, Purple Finches, do the same. The one below landed on the Catnip and stayed for a while ferreting out tasty seeds.
Now that I have quit deadheading, my flowers look a little unkempt, but who cares when they're decorated with colorful birds?
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