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While looking at my zinnias the other day, I saw a bright yellow “something” wrapped around the flower. It almost looked like a slug the way it was wrapped around the flower. But it was bright yellow! Then I realized it was a goldfinch eating zinnias! What a delightful surprise! This is the first time that I have seen a goldfinch eating zinnias. Actually this is the first time I have planted Cut and Come Again ZinniasImage may be NSFW.
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. I usually plant zinnias with much larger flowers.
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Years ago I discovered the American Goldfinch because it loves the Purple Coneflower (Echinacea) seeds. Purple coneflowers are perennials so they come up every year without any work on my part. After the goldfinches were common visitors I put up an American Goldfinch feeder which they love. Goldfinches are beautiful birds and a delightful visitor to any garden. The males are brilliantly yellow in the summer. They change to a more drab olive color for the winter. This is the same color as the females year-round. Alas, in the bird world the males are gorgeous and the females are rather drab looking.
Goldfinch Eating Zinnias Can Be a Problem
While researching this on the internet, I read that sometimes the goldfinches destroy the flowers. That did not happen in my case. Though I did see the bird ripping out the petals. A bird expert suggested that they do this to see if the seeds are ready. In the video below you can see the petal being ripped out and dropped in the garden. Then the goldfinch continues to peck at the flower looking for seeds. If you want to attract goldfinches to your garden plant purple coneflowers, small sunflowers and cut and come again zinnias. For the perfect goldfinch feeder and perfect seed check out my post on the American Goldfinch Feeder. Watch the video below to see goldfinches feasting on zinnias.
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