For years, there has been a hummingbird coming to my front porch. He's back! I usually put a fuchsia there for him to feed upon. This year, it has been too cold so far for any flowers to be put out. Also, I cannot find a fuchsia locally. It seems none of the garden centres supply them any more. Last summer it was a begonia instead. A red one. Wrong shape, right colour. My hummingbird fed on it anyway as far as I could see.
Until I put the hydro and phone service underground, I would often see him perched on the wires. Now I have no idea where he rests.
I heard on a CBC show (some authoritative professorial type) that hummingbirds are NOT attracted to red. Right. That's why he tries to land in my hair...
So do bees. Apparently they are not attracted to red either. Apparently the ones here are colour blind. Maybe the people who study them are colour blind? But I digress...
To be sure, I don't know if My Hummingbird is a he or a she.
Hummingbirds make me happy. I won't feed them from a plastic POC (piece of crap) filled with sugar water. I will find an appropriate flower. They also feed from the so called "silver maple" that is found all over the neighbourhood. Apparently an ornamental from Europe that came with settlers, this tree, which defies taxonomy, is prolific in the area, and upon my land. First comes the Yellow Bellied Sapsucker, a relative of the Woodpecker, who pecks holes (woodpeckers eat insects, sapsuckers suck sap. Strangely). After that, Squirrels drink the sap, and Hummingbirds float and tap sap while in midair, from the same puncture wounds on the tree.
Ah, that humans would cooperate so easily! What a wonderful world it would be...
Until I put the hydro and phone service underground, I would often see him perched on the wires. Now I have no idea where he rests.
I heard on a CBC show (some authoritative professorial type) that hummingbirds are NOT attracted to red. Right. That's why he tries to land in my hair...
So do bees. Apparently they are not attracted to red either. Apparently the ones here are colour blind. Maybe the people who study them are colour blind? But I digress...
To be sure, I don't know if My Hummingbird is a he or a she.
Hummingbirds make me happy. I won't feed them from a plastic POC (piece of crap) filled with sugar water. I will find an appropriate flower. They also feed from the so called "silver maple" that is found all over the neighbourhood. Apparently an ornamental from Europe that came with settlers, this tree, which defies taxonomy, is prolific in the area, and upon my land. First comes the Yellow Bellied Sapsucker, a relative of the Woodpecker, who pecks holes (woodpeckers eat insects, sapsuckers suck sap. Strangely). After that, Squirrels drink the sap, and Hummingbirds float and tap sap while in midair, from the same puncture wounds on the tree.
Ah, that humans would cooperate so easily! What a wonderful world it would be...
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