Christine - Hummingbirds, ferns and dandelions

Hummingbirds, ferns and dandelions

Monday, 1. June 2009, 19:20:40

chipmunk, ferns, wildflowers, hummingbirds

Nature is exploding with new life and I can’t keep up! The second half of May brought hummingbirds, baby chipmunks and squirrels, and a lush green forest melodic with countless bird songs.

Wildflowers dot the forest floor. Early white trilliums fade to pink.

Violets curl in the wind.

Columbines flower in time for arriving hummingbirds.

Wild phlox.

And delicate arrangements.

Purple lilacs grow wild at the entrance to our woods path.

Last post's tiny ferns uncurled into 1-2 foot high plants! I was covered in mosquitoes while taking these photos in a swampy area.

A carpet of dandelions.

Dandelion closeup.

And silhouette.

Hummingbirds arrived on May 13th, the same day that I put up the feeder.

Chipmunks scurry about. I watched 5 babies emerge from their den on May 30.

Mylo and I continue on our daily walks.

With each walk finishing up with a big slurp and dip in the creek

Spring leaves, wildflowers and caterpillar tentsA beautiful encounter with a newborn fawn

Comments

PainterWoman # 1. June 2009, 19:35

What a wonderful walk! Loved the hummingbird, chipmunk and Mylo. Also loved those tiny white flowers that are almost like strings of Christmas lights. The dandelion up close is so interesting and fragile looking. This post made me

Christine # 1. June 2009, 19:55

Hi Pam, thank you! I saved your favourites until last

Our walks are beautiful but phew, Mylo's sweet exterior hides a powerhouse puller! My arms and legs are like rock! I also loved the "strings of Christmas lights" but have no idea what they are

As always you are spot on with your descriptive metaphors

Thanks.

PainterWoman # 1. June 2009, 20:44

I know there is a green houseplant called 'string of pearls' with literally look like long strands of green beads. Very unique looking. Unfortunatley I have a brown thumb when it comes to those. But I wonder if they are related to the strings of flowers. Maybe there's some plant experts on Opera.

Linda # 1. June 2009, 21:08

I would also like to know the name of the little white flowers. Don't believe they grow in my part of Texas. Marvelous photos. Loved the hummer and chipmunks and all the flowers. Familiar with all but the white ones.

Adele # 1. June 2009, 21:36

Christine, that is an absolutely beautiful post. I'm going to spotlight it (if Opera will let me! It keeps deleting my highlighted posts for some reason!)

I've never visited Ontario in the wildflower season and it's lovely to see the forest floor so bright

Christine # 2. June 2009, 14:13

Pam, L2D2 - I found the name! It's Miterwort - Mitella diphylla http://www.nearctica.com/flowers/otos/saxifrag/Mdiphy.htm

Christine # 2. June 2009, 14:19

Adele, thanks so much! My latest posts have been a bit frantic. Just when nature is exploding with new life I've had virtually no free time. These photos in particular were taken very quickly .. snap snap .. with no time for pondering or refining. So I was very pleasantly surprised that you liked them so much

Thank you!

PainterWoman # 2. June 2009, 14:46

Thanks for finding that Christine. Now I see that they grow on spikes rather than hanging strands. What did you put into Google to find them? I had those String of Pearls stuck in my head.

Linda # 2. June 2009, 17:02

I knew it wasn't string of pearls. They are tropical and I have sold many a pot of them.

Linda # 2. June 2009, 17:05

Christine, thank you for identifying that plant. It drives me ga ga when I can't find the identity of a plant. When I took botany, we had to have a notebook of wildflowers. Had to dry them, mount them, identify them by Latin name, common name and characteristics. Going "wildflowering" was my favorite pastime. I had an older friend who would pick me up periodically in the spring and take me all over Texas to look at and collect wildflowers.

Anonymous # 2. June 2009, 20:19

Anonymous writes:

so lovely. You should make a slide show of your work through a whole year. Each season brings its surprises, the geodesic dome of a spent dandelion, love the violet and the trillium is the best. Fabulous, thanks so much...

glenno # 2. June 2009, 21:34

Hi Christine, you say that the hummingbirds arrived, are they migratory? I can't imagine anything that small migrating....

Linda # 2. June 2009, 23:28

Glen, I am not Christine, but I can answer that--Yes they are migratory and spend winter in Mexico and S. America I believe. If you ever watch them, right before they migrate, they will tank up on nectar and whatever they can find to eat. They will be so round and rolypoly they look like little balls with wings. This is because their metabolism is so high, they burn up energy very quickly and have to eat enough to be able to make the long trips to their wintering grounds.

glenno # 2. June 2009, 23:35

Thanks Linda, its because of the metabolism that I couldnt imagine them migrating, I imagined they would be like an outboard engine with only a spoonful of gas

Guess they top up along the way.. Learn something new every day, i have only seen hummingbirds in zoos. Cool blog, great photos Christine, as ever;)

Linda # 3. June 2009, 00:02

As far as I am concerned, hummers are the crown jewels of the bird world.

glenno # 3. June 2009, 01:54

Very pretty little things eh?

Linda # 3. June 2009, 02:59

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee_Hummingbird

Go there. world's smallest bird, about the size of a large bumblebee. Isn't that amazing?

Linda # 3. June 2009, 03:02

BEE HUMMINGBIRD

glenno # 3. June 2009, 03:20

They are awesome, very much like pandas really

Linda # 3. June 2009, 03:23

What? Like pandas?

glenno # 3. June 2009, 03:32

Creatures that are totally dependant on one food supply

Linda # 3. June 2009, 03:56

Glen, they don't feed on just nectar. That is the biggest part of their diet, but it doesn't provide enough protein and nutrition, so they also eat insects and spiders.

glenno # 3. June 2009, 03:58

Guess I know less about them than I thoght, and that wasnt much in the first place

Linda # 3. June 2009, 04:09

Oh, well, I had never thought about a place that didn't have hummingbirds. So now, you have gained some trivia to clutter your brain.

I started to get you something today. I spent the afternoon at our Caldwell Zoo. I went into the gift shop right before I left. They had some road signs. I was so tempted, because one of them was a diamond shape that had a big old armadillo on it. It was yellow metal. The armadillo was in black and gray. The sign said
ARMADILLO CROSSING. I had told you that the Armadillo is one of our state mascots.

If I had your address I would have sent it to you. You could put it on the door of your computer room.

glenno # 3. June 2009, 04:11

That would have been so cool, thanks for the thought (its what counts) I love armadillos

Linda # 3. June 2009, 04:20

Well, next time I go, I might get it anyway, because I came within a breath of doing it anyway. I can finagle your address and it wouldn't cost too much to ship because it isn't very heavy. Although a lot of things cost a bunch for shipping to Australian continent.

studio41 # 3. June 2009, 06:46

this is such a nice 'scrapbook' here! great photos!!

Christine # 3. June 2009, 13:58

I found some interesting facts here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummingbird

With the exception of insects, hummingbirds while in flight have the highest metabolism of all animals, a necessity in order to support the rapid beating of their wings. Their heart rate can reach as high as 1,260 beats per minute, a rate once measured in a Blue-throated Hummingbird. They also consume more than their own weight in nectar each day, and to do so they must visit hundreds of flowers daily. Hummingbirds are continuously hours away from starving to death, and are able to store just enough energy to survive overnight.

Like bees, they are able to assess the amount of sugar in the nectar they eat; they reject flower types that produce nectar which is less than 10% sugar and prefer those whose sugar content is stronger. Nectar is a poor source of nutrients, so hummingbirds meet their needs for protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, etc. by preying on insects and spiders, especially when feeding young.

Studies of hummingbirds' metabolisms are highly relevant to the question of why a migrating Ruby-throated Hummingbird can cross 800 km (500 mi) of the Gulf of Mexico on a nonstop flight, as field observations suggest it does. This hummingbird, like other birds preparing to migrate, stores up fat to serve as fuel, thereby augmenting its weight by as much as 100 percent and hence increasing the bird's potential flying time.

Christine # 3. June 2009, 14:04

Linda, the Bee hummingbird is so cute!! We get hummingbird moths that are about that size http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i21A5gNl3N4

Christine # 3. June 2009, 14:08

Glen, thank you for your nice comments as always

Our hummingbirds arrive in early May and leave by the end of September.

Christine # 3. June 2009, 14:08

Jill, thank you!

Christine # 3. June 2009, 14:13

Anon, so glad you dropped by! A slideshow would be neat but I wonder who would watch it

I like the little Opera slideshow at the top of this page as a daily reminder of all the seasons.

Christine # 3. June 2009, 14:15

Pam, I entered "Ontario Wildflowers" into Google and found http://www.wildflowersofontario.ca/list1.html which showed photos of all our wildflowers. Then scrolled down until I found it!

Linda # 3. June 2009, 20:46

That looked amazingly like a hummingbird! Ain't nature wonderful?!

I think it is truly mind boggling that hummingbirds can make it through migration without starving to death, given that high metabolism.

glenno # 3. June 2009, 20:55

I had a look and found this site, lots of information about the hows and whys of migrating hummingbirds
http://www.hummingbirds.net/migration.html
There are migration maps on the site as well
http://www.hummingbirds.net/migration.html
The q and a part is amusing in a dry way too

Linda # 3. June 2009, 21:14

That was a great article Glen. Thanks. Most people here are still under the impression that they have to take down the feeders by end of Sept. at the latest in order to encourage the hummers to migrate. This article put that straight for me.

I used to do the feeder, but I don't here where I live now because of the excess of cats. Don't want them endangered.

However, I have a large planting of native Texas Turk's Cap plant, which happens to be one of their favorite nectar flowers, so sometimes I see the precious little things, looking like bees, hovering over the flowers in front of my mobile home. My eyesight is getting bad enough that it is hard for me to see and keep up with their flight.

glenno # 3. June 2009, 21:18

I will put seeing hummingbirds in the wild on my bucket list

Linda # 3. June 2009, 21:29

You won't regret it. They are so tiny that sometimes I am not sure whether I am seeing a bird or a bug. And they are so fast it's hard to keep up with them. I watched one go from flower to flower at my place one day, then watched him fly up to a pine tree branch way overhead. Then I lost track of him. But he kept coming back for several trips. Didn't see where he got off to finally.

Their nests are tiny and seeing real baby hummers in the nest is something I would give a lot to see up close.

glenno # 3. June 2009, 21:32

Yep, its a gotta do it thing

studio41 # 5. June 2009, 08:04

you are welcome

Anonymous # 7. June 2009, 23:37

Arnie writes:

Hey Christine, great blog and fantastic photos. It was easy to find. Great seeing you today.

Christine # 9. June 2009, 13:51

Hey Arnie!! Thank you for dropping by! Photographing nature is just SO much better than looking for countertops!

It was great seeing you too. Best of luck with your kitchen

And be sure to stop by again.