Could be the American Goldfinch; they have beaks well suited to plucking petals to get to the seeds. And they will perch on flowers to get at them. Their year-round range includes Virginia and while they'd prefer open meadows, much of that has given way to development. So they're attracted to neighborhood bird feeders, preferring thistle seed, but have developed a taste for many annual flower seeds as well, including your zinnias.

Thank you, duluthinbloom, I bet you that's exactly right!!
I have been feeding these finches and attracting a lot of them, w/ thistle seed, and some squirrels have broken and destroyed the finch feeder once again. so I didn't replace the feeder, and I see lots of these finches, including the really beautiful gold finches flying about my yard. Oh, what am I gonna do!! I wonder if Sevin will keep them off the blooms. I feel sorry for the butterflies.

Thanks, Ursula
Is there anything else you could think of that I could do to deter these finches from my poor flowers?
Even if I put up another finch feeder full of thistle seed, they might still think they can help themselves to the zinnias.

I'm not sure what will deter the birds other than maybe bird netting. The black bird netting should be available at Home Depot, hardware stores, etc. and is virtually invisible; could be attached to stakes to make a canopy just a little above the zinnias.

Dear Ursiking:

In our yard, goldfinches and zinnias co-habit peacefully. We do have a big thistle feeder. Instead of putting up barriers above your zinnias or spraying them, why not restore the thistle feeder - which contains the food that finches love the best?

Yes, duluth in bloom ( duluth, isn't that way out in North or South Dakota?)
I think I will get some bird netting from home depot tomorrow. I saw today that you were right, these beautiful yellow finches just hop on my flowers and pick rudely away. They don't even fly away when I clap my hands and make shooing noises. ------------
Thanks for your input, Shapiro, I have already bought 2 more thistle feeders, a bit heavier than the old one that the squirrels tore to shreds.
Hopefully this will satisfy the finches. I envy you, if you don't have mutilated zinnias w/ the finches around. Last year when I had one thistle feeder and one sock thistle feeder, i still had some zinnias eaten up. The butterflies cant sit anywhere or the bees if all the petals are eaten away. I guess this is why i will try the bird netting too. I haven't ever seen any, but hope the butterflies and bees can still get to the flowers.

Thank you both, Ursula

Sevin is highly toxic to butterflies and bees (among other things). Far worse for bees, as the poisoned nectar and pollen gets transported back to the colony where the results of contamination can be devastating.

Given the choice, I would rather the gold finches eat my flowers than not have the finches. As a matter of fact I plant flowers especially for the finches,echinacea for example.
Please PLEASE don't put poision on your flowers to save gthem from the finches.....because you fed them and attracted them and now are cutting off their food supply but for your flower seeds.
Linda C

Linda, 'my' goldfinches are crazy about Agastache, as well as Echinacea. It's so funny to see them strip the seeds from those flowers.

Linda couldn't have phrased it any better. The wildlife we attract to our gardens are part of what makes them "alive". Echinacea took over one of our big beds, and I didn't notice until after the fact, that whole flocks of goldfinch come every year to pick around the abundance of seeds. What a delightful sequel.

Everything we do in our gardens has some sort of impact on those creatures with whom we share it, and I guess I never thought about bees taking sevin-laden pollen back to the colony. I should have, as I have baited yellow jacket entrance holes for the same effect when they nest in places dangerous to humans. When they don't, I leave them alone as before the fall season, they don't be a nuisance or danger.

I have always avoided using seven where bees could come into contact with it, but I was only worrying about the singular bee. Thanks for sharing that.

I grow Zinnias from seed as well as many other annuals, including Tithonia, Cosmos, Snaps, and Cleome. I like tall and showy varieties, like Cut & Come again zinnias, and Rocket Snapdragons.

I love the beauty and color of annuals, and how long the blooms last - but I also garden for wildlife. Usually I deadhead regularly, but will leave the seedheads on perennials and annuals that the birds like to eat.

With respect to that, I garden strictly organically. When you use insecticides, you will poison all types of insects - both the insects eating your plants but also the predatory insects, as well as the pollinators. Bear in mind that a large part of many birds' summer diet consists of insects, and if you want to attract birds to your yard, there should be a healthy supply of food for them, including insects.

Even if a few blooms or plants in the garden are being attacked by insects, there are many more plants that are healthy and beautiful. I live with a little damage.

I too have zinnias being eaten by goldfinches.In the past I started feeding the squirrels to stop them from digging and eating my flowers.It worked.I will get a bird feeder with thistle and see if it helps.They ARE beautiful little birds.Only 2 so far-so good!

Hello pattimac,

" I too have zinnias being eaten by goldfinches. "

I see you have "revived" a 10-year old message thread. But it is pertinent because this is the time of year when finches start eating zinnia seeds.

We have squirrels here in our rural location, but fortunately they have not been bothering our garden. We have maintained bird feeders in the past, including some thistle-seed feeders for finches, but that did not eliminate damage to zinnia seedheads. It did increase our local population of various finches.

I have had some success "scaring" the finches away from our zinnias by putting reflective pinwheels in the zinnia patch. The Dollar Store usually has some. They are meant as children's toys or party favors, but they will last for a month or so in outdoor conditions. I have been meaning to make some more durable versions out of tin cans, but never seem to have the time. The pinwheels seem to be keeping the finch damage to my zinnias at a minimum. I am currently replacing some of my storm-damaged pinwheels.

ZM

So funny that I read this today. Today, for the first time in my yard, I saw a yellow finch and it was pecking away at a zinnia flower! I would never think to scare them away -- they are so beautiful and I was so excited to see one right outside my window!