I have made a fascinating garden/nature observation here in the yard... I have three perennial sedum plants that for some reason this year are being seriously nibbled. I thought deer were the culprits for a while, but the more I looked at the plants it was only the edges of the leaves that were chewed on, not a complete nipping off off plant growth, which is a pattern more common to deer.
Anyway, in the midst of a homework stint, I was taking a break & doing some stretching out of my desk chair; gosh, sitting is surprisingly tiring! Easily distracted as I am, I was also looking out the window at the blooming daylilies when I saw a Red-Headed Finch http://jane-domain.com/house_finch.htm perch on the sedum clump and start pecking at the leaves! The only reason I can come up with for this bird behavior, is that the finch was sipping moisture/nectar from the succulent-like sedum leaves. This finch activity surely explains the the ragged leaf edges and the reason the most brutally attacked sedum happens to be located between the two thistleseed finch feeding socks. I have never seen the finches do this before. There are two full watery birdbaths present in the front yard currently. Is this a response to climate change or an adaptation I've not noticed before? I have to admit I had a bit of a Thoreau glow, feelin' all naturalist-like since I've seen this finch behavior, but it's definitely an interesting observation. Wish I had gotten a picture, but it was over in a few seconds. So everyone be sure and spend some time quietly sitting and observing your yard, nature is in action out there.
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