~Mary Poppins
Just in case you need any more reasons not to do big-time fall cleanup in your garden, perhaps this will do.
I looked out my kitchen window and saw this song sparrow, feasting on the delectable seeds left on the seed head of the Echinacea that I didn’t cut down in fall. Do you see the cone behind it just to the right? Every seed is completely devoured, leaving only the core, which I will compost in the spring when I do my garden cleanup.
A delightful sight I wouldn’t want to miss! Juncos and Chickadees also partake of the Echinacea seeds left on the stalk as well as the plant just to its left. That Caryopteris is also full of seeds which these birds feed on all winter and leaving the branching structure intact can also provide roosting shelter during storms. The untidy winter garden is a veritable smorgasbord for the birds. Keep them coming in the winter and they will come in the spring and summer to get those bugs that bug you.
In Bloom In My Garden Today: Daphne caucasica ‘Eternal Fragrance’ and ‘Summer Ice’ are both eking out a few new blossoms.
Author’s photo
4 comments:
oh my gosh the Mary Poppins quote has me singing now!
I love that song.
and I haven't done my clean up yet....AND we are getting finches by the dozens. NOW I know why!
I love how much I learn here! love love love it!
xo
Hi Cindy
Thanks for the kind words! So cool you are feeding the finches! Can you figure out what exactly they are feeding on that you didn't clean up? Finches have such a nice song.
Thanks for reading!
Hi Joan! What a great photo! How fun! We are fortunate to have lots of birds and a couple of squirrels in our yard. We don't do any type of fall clean up so hope they have plenty to eat. ;) The squirrels LOVE to get our dogs really riled up. You've never heard anything like the noise my dogs make when they can see the squirrels in the back yard through the sliding glass door. It actually hurts my ears and one day I fear they'll break the door down! :)
Just saw your "pesiticides kill honey bees too..." banner off to the side! Neat!
Hi Shari! I just love watching the birds. So entertaining and somehow company on dreary wet dark days like today. The rain never seems to stop them. There are tons of them out there now eating at my various feeders and in and amongst the plants chowing down!
Dogs are so goofy about squirrels! :)
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