Hummingbirds, just like butterflies, love Alstroemeria flowers! When these flowers start to bloom, this invasive patch of blossoms gets quite busy. My alstroemeria started out in a two inch pot and that has taken over a large flower bed. In moments I wish I hadn’t […]
All of last summer we had this personalized gardening service! First I thought there were just two of them. A big one and a small one. Mostly they stayed in the grassy area where they’d nibble on what isn’t much of a lawn. They happily […]
When the weather people announced snow for Portland last week, I got excited. “Lucky me”, I thought! “I’ll build a snowman!” 😉 Anticipating cold temps, I plugged in my hummer feeder heater to keep the nectar from freezing. Soon, snowflakes were falling, a frigid gorge […]
All summer long my garden gets visited by these beautiful Western Swallowtails. They very much love the butterfly bushes I planted, but really go crazy over Peruvian lilies. The swallowtails love basking in the hot afternoon sun and feed on the Alstroemeria’s nectar. Once they land […]
post covid day dreams into the wild blue yonder here, there, everywhere. Some of the things I have really missed this year are: my annual California road trip to connect with friends I’ve known half of my life spending time at my favorite beach taking […]
Sparkly tree topper resting, guarding, protecting, “I’m not sharing today” I recently put out a hummingbird feeder for those who stay over winter. One feisty hummer spotted it right away right and now fiercely guards “his feeder”. Then I put out a second hoping other […]
Deer visit throughout the year, but in early spring we get to see young fawns. These two weren’t afraid but some scamper off into the forest when they spot me. Have a peaceful weekend and stay healthy and safe! 🙂
“Can you see me now?” Hummingbirds never cease to amaze me! There’s an unbelievable amount of energy packed into these tiny birds. They appear seemingly out of nowhere, feast on their favorite flowers and then … they disappear again. Just like that! Sometimes if I’m […]
A well deserved rest after a delicious snack! This little guy was quite busy feeding on one of their favorite blossoms. Crocosmia in any garden here will attract lots of hummers. Be safe! Be happy! 🙂
I LOVE hummingbirds! Hummingbirds are just as curious about us humans as we humans are about them. They are fiercely territorial and rarely sit still for any amount of time. This year I spent a lot of time outside to watch them enjoy the flowers I […]
These adorable tiny bushtits visit our garden multiple times every day. They always come in large flocks, perhaps as many as 50 and more. They announce themselves with a cheery chatter and then descent onto the suet feeders. Bushtits are small kinglet sized birds around […]
Look at this tongue!! “I feel good” he chirps dewdrop bathtub freshly filled what sunrise delight. I haven’t been sleeping well since the beginning of the pandemic. Many nights I wake up, often from Covid nightmares. After a particularly awful nightmare one night, I got […]
Yes! I’m talking to you! “Please Be Kind” said this smart and considerate hummingbird: This now new world order requires an invisible physically distant border around you and me and everyone we see along with a mask to stay disease-free. Most humans are kind and […]
Despite fewer blossoms to nourish the visiting hummers now, they still visit daily. I watch them sip nectar and defend their territory against other birds and me. The butterfly bushes, a hummingbird favorite, will continue to flower until the first frost. Once the last flowers wilt, these […]
The flicker kept munching away … … when suddenly a rare visitor to our garden peeked out from the beautyberry bush. A Western Scrub Jay hopped out of the bushes … … looked around … … and then jumped over onto the suet feeder pole. […]
The Northern Flicker checking out the backyard before coming down from the tree … … where he encounters a Stellar’s Jay at the suet feeder. They thoroughly check each other out … … when the jay starts to clown around and then hops onto the […]
This magical moment lasted at most about a minute or two! I was sitting near the dahlias thinking “wouldn’t it be nice if the hummingbird would come by these beautiful flowers before they fade. Suddenly this male Anna’s Hummingbird appeared and fulfilled my wish! These […]
There’s been a seemingly endless stream of bird parents bringing their fledglings to our garden this summer, teaching them how to feed themselves. Northern Flickers are in the tree climber/woodpecker family. They are shy birds and easily spooked by people. They also always announce their […]
