Zebra Grass and Juncos

This year we had a long enough growing season for the zebra grass to establish nice flower heads. We had a frost very early, but the blooms were still protected and didn't get damaged. Then we went a long time without another frost, and actually saw temps rise into the low 80's for several days, along with enough rain to keep things growing. The seed heads look so nice over the winter - I'm glad they are there.

I leave many of the summer flowers standing for the winter. The juncos are already here, scouring the ground for seeds. The finches work the seeds out of the coneflower heads until they are completely consumed. (Though they certainly drop enough of the seeds to create new coneflower plants in unexpected places.) And it seems to be alot more work to cut them all down in the fall than it is the next spring. The snow is pretty as it highlights the structures too.