Dried sunflowers

I grow them, enjoy them for a few weeks, and then there are the seed-heads, which when dried provide great seeds for birds...but I'm not allowed to have feeders for birds (except hummingbirds) where I live.  That's because of bears, you know.

Different stages of drying seed-heads of sunflowers.  Since I've grown the yellow ones from my own seeds, I am pretty sure they will also make seeds for new flowers.  The red ones are probably hybrids with non-fertile seeds.  Doesn't mean they aren't edible though!

I must share a story as well.

I gave my first batch of seed heads to my friend, Ann.  She took them home and hung a couple together below her squirrel-proof bird feeder.  A squirrel couldn't reach the sunflower seed-heads, and finally jumped upon them.  They had been hung with rubber bands, so the squirrel and seed-heads bounced up and down a while.  Mr. Squirrel finally had enough weight and bounce that he brought down one of the seed heads and started carrying it off into the woods.  Of course several other squirrels saw him by then, and followed along.  I laughed out loud at the bouncing squirrel!

I still purchase my sunflower seeds and love munching on them, already hulled!