I plant sunflowers every year around my windows~ kitchen, living room, and back porch especially. Some people think I'm crazy to grow 10 foot giants in front of my living room window, but what some of them don't know, is that I can sit on my couch and watch goldfinches feed almost anytime of the day. They are such a shy bird that sometimes the best way to watch them without spooking them is from inside! I don't usually buy specific seed, I usually transplant what grows around the bird feeders in the spring. I've tried to grow "Moulion Rouge" and "Fantasy", among a few others, but the birds have ALWAYS picked the seeds right from the ground. And after I take such good care of them all winter!! After seeing some great sunflowers through the neighboorhood of smoky brown and reds, I've decided to try again next year to grow some red beauties much to the delight of my girls, who let me know how much they love the reds everytime we pass! Okay, maybe I'm not crazy. I've noticed quite a few houses in the area growing sunflowers in their front yards too. Maybe great minds think alike, and find not only the flowers, but the feathered friends that visit too, to be a great addition to the house!!
Not only do goldfinches visit my sunflowers, but we've also seen ruby throated hummingbirds, and not suprisingly, tons and tons of bees and butterflies! I was quite suprised when my daughter ran in the house and while jumping up and down, telling me that a hummingbird was just buzzing around her head. Sure enough, watching for a few days in a row, it returned every day to get a drink from our sunflowers. That might be the most pleasant suprise we've gotten so far this summer. I always planted red or purple to attract the hummers, and now, to know that they love one of my favorites is wonderful, so I guess we'll start a quest to try to catch one of these beauties in picture.
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