I tried growing Tidy Tips, a local wildflower, in one of my planters this year. It put out a handful of flowers and then quickly dried out.
I haven't gotten around to trimming the dead plant away yet and was feeking guilty because it's kind of unsightly, but I've noticed something interesting: the tall dry stalks act as a goddamn beacon for towhees. They come to my patio every morning now to forage, and the first place they land is always the planter with those long stalks.
I've been enjoying watching them hop about and chirp. It's a nice reminder that just because something isn't pretty to us doesn't mean it's not important.