House Finches + Rocky Mtn Bee Plant - Arapahoe
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Jared Del Rosso
Nov 27, 2023, 10:52:38 AM11/27/23
to Colorado Birds
I've grown Rocky Mountain Bee Plant (Cleome serrulata) for several years in the backyard of my Centennial home. The species spreads more than I'd like and the foliage has earned in the name skunkweed. But I appreciate it for attracting all kinds of pollinators, hummingbirds included and, one summer, a tarantula hawk.
I've never noticed songbirds feeding on its seeds. I figured it was because the seeds tend to fall -- they're in pods, which split open as they dry, and between my dogs and me, we're constantly brushing up against the plants and rattling seeds loose. (I've also probably not watched carefully enough.) But this year, they're being visited by House Finches, who appear to be feeding at the seed heads. Junco forage below them -- but there's all kinds of stuff on the ground, so who knows what they're eating.
The House Finches also seem happy to remain perched in the most robust of the bee plants, some of which cleared 6 feet this year with all the moisture, and enjoy the sun.
I've never noticed songbirds feeding on its seeds. I figured it was because the seeds tend to fall -- they're in pods, which split open as they dry, and between my dogs and me, we're constantly brushing up against the plants and rattling seeds loose. (I've also probably not watched carefully enough.) But this year, they're being visited by House Finches, who appear to be feeding at the seed heads. Junco forage below them -- but there's all kinds of stuff on the ground, so who knows what they're eating.
The House Finches also seem happy to remain perched in the most robust of the bee plants, some of which cleared 6 feet this year with all the moisture, and enjoy the sun.
- Jared Del Rosso
Centennial, CO
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