For the Hummingbirds

I admit that I haven't been filling the hummingbird feeder recently. I know it's completely dry, as it's probably been at least three weeks since I've touched it... probably more like 4 or 5. Since the hummingbirds are just about to leave for Mexico, or have already done so, it's critical that my garden provide them with fuel.

Luckily there are plenty of plants for them to fight over right now -- the feeder is not the only place they can sip nectar. The cannas -- plain green form with the bright red blooms -- are a big hit with them right now. I have three separate plantings whose fiery flowers are towering above everything -- easy for hummers to find!

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The future of hummingbird feeders?

Who doesn't like seeing hummingbirds in the garden? I know I do, and besides planting lots of hummer-attracting plants (Agastaches and Salvias for a start), I've been hanging hummingbird feeders for as long as I can remember.

Back in May I had the opportunity to review a new type of feeder, and today's post is my experience with it so far. As you can see from the box, this thing must be HUGE!

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Resting

I need a little break.

I'm not flying thousands of miles to my wintering grounds...

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Intensity

With almost any endeavor you need a certain intensity in order to be successful. Gardening is included in this -- successful gardeners need that drive, that single-mindedness. It's all about the plants, and it's difficult to "get it right" without some level of obsession.

You don't have to go far to see how this intensity works in the garden itself, in nature. Just take a look at the creatures around you!

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hummingbirds do not like to share

One of the things I love most about summer is hummingbirds. I love seeing them feeding on the flowers in my garden, love hearing them twitter overhead as I'm working out there. I love their curiosity and their fearlessness.

What I don't really like is their manners. They just don't like to share.

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Various Nothings

As I was looking through my photo archives to find a couple of specific images, I came across a few different images that never made it into posts. I also found a few older images (from before I started the blog) that I'd like to share with you today. I'll do this from time to time, as I have a more older garden photos that are worth sharing too.

So today it's more about the images. (I did not yet find those specific images I was looking for.)

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Hummingbirds at rest

Late summer is hummingbird season in my garden. There's constant traffic around the feeders, flowering vines, and other hummer-friendly flowers. They're seemingly always moving around, chasing each other away from favorite feeding sites, the air filled with their chirping and twittering.

As I walk around the garden, tiny birds buzzing over my head, it seems to me that hummingbirds don't know the meaning of the word "rest". That's not true though. Watch long enough, or look hard enough, and you'll see that they do actually stop for breaks when they can.

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What kind of feeder is this?

This is supposed to be a hummingbird feeder. You know what those are, right? Usually red, holds sugar water for the hummingbirds to eat. This year I've got one of my feeders hanging from my climbing rose trellis, so it's right outside the kitchen window. I see it dozens of times a day without even trying.

Why is it that most of the time I look out there I don't see hummingbirds, but this guy?

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