For the Birds

Photo courtesy of Karen Rake

A dear friend (and Random Acts of Gardening reader) shared these thoughts and photos with me. Testimony that we shouldn’t be too quick to tidy our gardens in the fall!

“Here are some of the pictures I took the other day [in mid-November]. It is hard to see them since they are so small but [the gold finches] were in my yard by the dozens!!! Love all that life in the garden when things seem to be dying back.”

Watching the birds feast on the seed heads of rudbeckia provides entertainment and great pleasure to my friend. She also has a niger bird feeder nearby in an Acer griseum and a year-round basalt column fountain that attract the birds.



Photo courtesy of Karen Rake

I’ve hesitated taking my friend up on her offer for rudbeckia seed because it reseeds itself so readily in her yard. However, having this many small visitors in the garden suggests I should rethink that decision...and my soil isn’t as rich as hers so reseeding may, in fact, not be a concern. I know the hummingbirds are still visiting my fuchsia for a fall meal.

What’s attracting birdlife in your garden at this time of year?