Community Gardens

We have a community garden here in Nashua where residents can get a plot of land to garden in. The gardens are a haven for migrating songbirds this time of year so I decided to go for a drive with my camera to see what I could see. Well, the gardens are absolutely full to the brim with sunflowers! What a delight! I spoke with a couple of gardeners and apparently the sunflowers self sow and they are mostly volunteers. A few of the gardeners plant some fancier varieties but, for the most part, the sunflowers come up wherever they want. Apparently one of the spring chores in the gardens is weeding out the sunflowers where people want to plant vegetables. 

The gardens were alive with Goldfinches yesterday. There were probably over a hundred birds feeding on all the sunflower seeds. Our American Goldfinches breed later than most North American birds and they normally nest in  July when milkweed, thistle, and other plants have produced their fibrous seeds and down. The birds use the milkweed and thistle down to make their nests and use the seeds to feed their young.  They are also our only finches that molt their body feathers twice a year. The brilliant yellow males only keep this coloring during breeding season.

I got so caught up with getting pictures of the beautiful sunflowers, birds, butterflies etc. I forgot to get the smaller lens out so I could take an overview photograph of the gardens.  I guess I'll have to go back soon to grab some more shots!