The Sunflowers!

The first week of June, before I left on a month long trip I planted 3 different kinds of sunflowers along the back fence. By the time I got back they were just starting to bloom. Here they are in August in full glory.

But now, the first blooms are done and the squirrels have found them. The squirrels jump from the fence to the top of the sunflowers and try to bite off the spent flowers. One way of dead-heading! In the process they have been breaking of some of the branches and are pretty much tearing the plants up trying to get the sunflower seeds. ...But, they have been so busy with the sunflowers they have left the tomatoes alone!!! A great thing for us because for the past several years they have gotten almost every tomato we've grown.

It has been such a chilly summer that our tomatoes are finally ripening and we are almost into September!