A nugget

Early this summer I took a handful of the sunflower seeds from the bag that I use to fill the bird feeder and dropped them into the dirt-filled flower pot next to the back door; in just a few days they sprouted. I wondered how tall the stalks might get as they seemed to head straight for the blue sky. Then the buds formed and the lanky stalks began to list groundward so I strung them to a stake. Everyday the thirsty plants demanded a gallon of water wilting pathetically as a visual reprimand if I neglected them. Now the flowers are packed with seeds identical to their siblings in the feeder, the leaves are yellowing and dropping to the deck; the plants have completed their life cycle.

But wait…

There is one last obligation in the circle of life–to tempt the creatures of the neighborhood with those tasty seeds in an effort to spread the gene pool. Success! Here are two visitors: a goldfinch crunching seeds in situ and a squirrel who prefers to nip the flowers from the stalk and escape to a distant post to consume the booty.