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Hummingbirds!

© Judy L. Evridge

(All of the photos, with the exception of the first one, are the Wonderful work of Mr.Tom Sanford Thank you so much Tom!)

I love hummingbirds, or maybe "love" isn't a strong enough word to describe how I really feel about these fascinating, magnificent marvels of the sky! There are so many intriguing facts concerning hummingbirds, and yet so little is known about them.
Did you know that:

Hummingbirds are the only bird that can fly backward? They can fly up, down, forward, backward, sideways, do barrel rolls, even fly upside down, and standing still--hovering motionless in mid-air! They can rise vertically and and hover, or act like yo-yos flying up and down! Hummingbirds have the fastest wing beat of any bird? Averaging 80 beats per second, and up to 200 beats during courtship dives! They can stop in mid-air with a jolt that would send a pilot flying out of an airplane! They can swivel their wings almost 180 degrees and the speed of their wings resembles the blur of the rotory blades of a helicopter! Marvels in maneuverability in flight and in their anatomy, aerodynamic experts have not been able to figure out how they manage to fly believing that body structure makes it anatomically impossible!

So incredibly small their wing muscles account for 25-30% of their body weight! To meet the energy requirements of a hummingbird, a 170 lb. man would have to consume 285 lbs. (that's POUNDS!), of hamburgers a day! Contrary to belief, (and according to the experts?)hummingbirds aren't attracted to flowers for their fragrance, but for their color! They seem to prefer red, but any bright color will do! They have huge appetites too--dining on over 1500 flowers per day! They lose body heat very quickly so they must keep eating to be able to perform those spectacular aerial acrobats they are so noted for!

These fascinating magnificent little creatures are very intelligent too! Every spring I put out my feeders about the same time. Once I timed them and within 3 seconds of my hanging the pretty bottle of nectar just outside my kitchen window those precious little marvels were there, feeding happily! Hummingbirds in your garden are a joy beyond compare! If you've never tried having them, you really should. Take my word for it you won't be disappointed! You can buy commercially prepared nectar (just mix with water) at a very reasonable price considering the rewards. Or you can easily prepare your own. But better still, planting flowering plants that attract them, thus getting twice the pleasure! I'm sure there are many others that should be added to the list but these are some of the plants that I have tried and am certain of:

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