Enjoying the Weedy Buffet

I owe some thanks to a goldfinch for saving me some work the other day. I was taking a brief rest in the garden, planning to return to my weeding in a few moments. But then this natty little fellow came hopping along and caused me to change my plan.

One item that had been on my to-do list was to clear away the many straggly patches of forget-me-not that were going to seed throughout our flower and veggie beds. But the goldfinch obviously viewed my messy weeds as a tasty opportunity, tucking into the seeds with gusto. (Click on the photos above and below to enlarge.)

I love having these colourful little birds around for the summer – and clearly they need to eat – so how could I possibly continue with my project?

I left the forget-me-nots in place that day, despite my chronic desire for tidiness. And since then, each time I’ve gone into the garden I’ve been careful to pull out only the very worst of the straggly stems, leaving most of the seedy buffet in place. I guess this means we’ll have a whole lot of forget-me-nots in our future…but hopefully, we’ll also have a lot of returning goldfinches.

A reminder if you’re on Gabriola Island this summer: about a dozen of my marine-focused prints are on display at Gabriola’s popular dockside eatery, Silva Bay Restaurant & Pub. I hope you’ll stop by for a meal and have a look.