It's been exciting to have a brand new species frequenting our feeders and birdbath this spring. Our first-time visitors are some bright yellow Goldfinches with black-edged wings -- they are also our official "Washington State Bird." What an enchanting, colorful surprise! Blue Jays, California quail, bronze-breasted house finches, white-capped sparrows, Oregon juncos, and of course the red-breasted robins are always regular visitors. I personally think our robins come just to take a bath in the birdbath provided for them in our backyard.
As always, it's a real joy to see my flower garden come to life again. I have already seen many dainty Sulphur butterflies out and about. They are usually the earliest "flying flowers" in our area in the spring. Another butterfly species visiting -- and also newcomers to our yard -- are the Mourning Cloaks. They've been dining daily from the blossoms of the pink flowering cherry tree and pink flowering almond nearby. It's fascinating to observe them practically "eyeball-to-eyeball" from our bedroom window as they flit from one blossom to another, busily imbibing sweet nectar. I'm also keeping a sharp eye out for other species to arrive soon. There will be plenty of my nectar-rich flowers blooming throughout the coming summer to keep them well-fed.
Spring also means that hummingbirds will be returning soon. In surveying our backyard habitat early this spring, I noted that I need to focus on planting more flowers that will attract hummingbirds. I recall seeing only one or two hummers last summer, for whatever reasons. It's a given that hummingbirds are attracted to a wide variety of flowers, but they especially prefer those with tubular-shaped blossoms as these accommodate their long, needle-like beaks. Hummers also make a real dive (literally!) for flowers that bloom in shades of dark red or deep pink. Since I tend to prefer pastel colors in my flowerbeds and not many of those are tubular-shaped, this could be a major reason why hummers seek their nectar elsewhere.
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