Can I Have Your Coneflower Seedheads?

OR I’m a Naturescape Organic Matter Scavenger Part One Last month when I saw a nearby neighbor deadheading her large patch of native coneflowers I asked if I could have them. She was more than happy to not bag up what she considered garden trash.

Some people see yard trash, I see bird food and seedlings

For me this was like finding a stack of money on the street! I tucked the huge bundle of stems behind various climbing vines growing on trellises in my yard.

My cache of coneflower (echinacea) seedheads look like they belong intertwined in my favorite trellis

This winter the seed eating birds who visit my yard will be thankful to find them.

It looks like hungry little birds have already feasted on the coneflower seedheads (echinacea)

As an added bonus, I’ll also have coneflowers sprouting up all over my yard which fits with my naturescaping (landscaping to coexist with nature) goal of creating a biodiverse wildlife habitat.

The native bees will thank me next year when there are even more coneflowers (echinacea) in my yard

I’ve been eying another neighbor’s mailbox patch of coneflower seedheads. It looks like they might be leaving the stems standing for the birds, but in my neighborhood of perfectly manicured lawns it's more likely it just hasn't drawn the attention of their lawn crew yet.

Is coveting my neighbor's seedheads wrong?

I'm going to let this one go because I fear if I continue publicly scavenging for organic matter I will officially become the neighborhood crazy lady.