DJ Geribo

One of my favorites things about summer is the number of birds and other wildlife we see around. I enjoy watching the deer with their fawns in our backyard. Many of the birds have returned, including one of my favorites, the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. And then we have the mischievous chipmunks who can't seem to stay out of my planters that I adorn our back deck with, full of annuals that never fail to impress. 

But the chipmunk has decided my planters also make a great personal garden where he can plant the sunflower seeds we put out to feed the many birds that show up to our feeders. I'm not sure what they do with them but as I walk along watering the many planters, I will find holes dug into the soil with roots from the sunflower seeds sprouting everywhere. I imagine they like to eat them - I guess they need their greens, too! 

This painting is a watercolor called "Full Pouch". I imagine those cheeks are full of sunflower seeds and although many of the seeds end up in the chipmunks home under the ground to eat during the winter months, I know several of them with also end up growing in my window boxes and other planters, along with the flowers I planted.