Sunflowers, Goldfinches, and Bees

Spending just a few minutes on the deck in the early evening watching the sunflowers has become a favorite thing to do. For just a few minutes, it's nice to forget the imploding outside world.

From a food growing perspective, filling 1.5 of our raised beds with giant sunflowers was perhaps not the most efficient use of space (especially after the cucumbers that were supposed to use them as a trellis failed), they've been a fairly abject failure.

But from a wildlife perspective, they are awesome. They've attracted a little flock of goldfinches - my favorite bird. The neat little creatures are perched all over them in the early evening.

The bees love them. The camera on my phone is full of pictures where the bee has just left the flower and the frame.

Also, there is something very cool about a flower that towers over you.

While they are probably not raised-bed material for next year, we will definitely have to find room for them somewhere in the yard.