Aerial Jewels

Flower Kisser

A beauty to the eye

Whirring quickly by

Romancing the flowers

Courting them for hours.

A jewel shining bright

Summer afternoon's delight

Enchanting without a word

Magical hummingbird.

From late spring to early autumn, we are graced with the presence of ruby- throated hummingbirds. These tiny, metallic colored birds use their long, thin bills to probe flowers for nectar, earning the nick-name "Flower Kissers." :) They are especially fond of the more brightly colored flowers, red ones in particular, but they aren't too fussy and seem just as happy with pink or orange flowers, too. Both male and female are about 3 inches long. Their feathers are a metallic green above and their underparts are whitish. Only the male has a ruby-red throat patch.

In addition to flower nectar, the tiny birds love sugar water from specially designed hummingbird feeders like the one in the photograph above. We have two of these feeders set up for our hungry guests. One is situated by our pond and the other is next to my kitchen garden on the patio. Both receive a lot of patrons. Sometimes, there are skirmishes amongst the hummingbirds. Aerial duels transpire if one hummer thinks another is encroaching on a feeding station already claimed as his or her territory. If a feeder happens to go dry and doesn't get filled up immediately, I can get an earful from a scolding hummingbird when I go outside. These frisky little guys have identified me as their waitress and definitely let me have it if the food is slow to arrive!

Our side garden of columbines - a hummingbird favorite!

As summer wanes, days grow shorter, and temps start to cool, we see less and less of our tiny guests. By early autumn, they all have migrated to warmer territories and more fruitful feeding grounds. It's always a little sad to know you're bidding them good-bye for the season. Then again, it's always magical when spring comes around again and the hummingbirds return, lighting up the sky with brilliant flashes of color ... like tiny, sparkling, aerial jewels.