Reasons I Garden

Reasons I Garden: Feasting on Seeds

Goldfinch eating seeds from Black-Eyed Susan...This is a big reason I garden!
Leaving the seed-heads on the plants feeds the birds through the fall and winter.

But as you can see, this was in the middle of summer...(July, to be exact). The birds enjoy the seeds of Rudbeckia even in summer, because the petals fall off throughout the growing season, and the seed-heads dry out even as new ones are being produced.

So while I like to leave the seed-heads for fall and winter feeding, I enjoy watching summer feeding in the garden as well.

What gifts have you discovered today? Until next time,

Words and photos ©Thanks for today.™, by Jan Huston Doble @ http://www.thanksfor2day.blogspot.com/

Not to be reproduced or re-blogged without express permission of the author.

My Top Fall-Blooming Wildflowers

 Smooth Blue Aster

(Symphyotrichum laeve)

Goldenrod

(Solidago flexicaulis or caesia), I have both--trying to ID which is which.

Blue Mistflower

(Conoclinium coelestinum)

Three-lobed Coneflower

(Rudbeckia triloba)

Turtlehead

(Chelone lyonii)

Obedient Plant

(Physostegia virginiana)

 Red Cardinal Flower

(Lobelia cardinalis)

White Cardinal Flower

(Lobelia cardinalis : alba)

Blue Cardinal Flower

(Lobelia siphilitica)

Summer Phlox/Tall Garden Phlox 

(Phlox paniculata)

  Coral Red Honeysuckle

(Lonicera sempervirens)

 Black-eyed Susan 

(Rudbeckia hirta)

  Purple Coneflower

(Echinacea purpurea)

 Cutleaf Coneflower

(Rudbeckia laciniata)

 

Butterfly Weed seed pods

(Asclepias tuberosa)

Despite the fact that I am late to Gail's Wildflower Wednesday, I will link to it anyway. Please click on the link to see what other wildflowers bloggers have posted about.

What gifts have you discovered today? Until next time,

Words and photos ©Thanks for today.™, by Jan Huston Doble @ http://www.thanksfor2day.blogspot.com/

Not to be reproduced or re-blogged without express permission of the author.