Fred Basset by Alex Graham for October 23, 2014

Years ago, we installed a large bird feeder in our backyard. I judiciously kept if full of seed. I watched the birds as they fussily picked through the seeds, discarding much of the contents on the lawn below..The following spring, after refilling the feeder umpteen times over the winter, I noticed to my chagrin all the weeds, including thistle and some weeds I didn’t know existed, appear in the lawn around the base of the feeder..Apparently our feathered visitors were too sophisticated to enjoy the morsels we provided…