The window of my home office overlooks the flower garden I have cultivated the last few years. I focused on planting varieties of perennials that would attract and nourish pollinators, especially honey bees and butterflies. Bee balm is the first to bloom, with brilliant red flowers, in May or early June. By the time they die back, the lantana makes its appearance, with showy pink and yellow blooms, and becomes the focal point for most of the summer. The Russian Sage blooms about the same time, and the smell is intoxicating. There is a variety of what I think is False Indigo (I lost the label that came from the nursery) that has blue flowers and blooms in August and September. I mix in a few annuals to fill in gaps and provide additional color and interest.
I spend many hours staring out my window watching the parade of bees, moths and butterflies flit from flower to flower gathering nectar and spreading pollen, when I’m supposed to be writing. I tell myself that I’m absorbing inspiration, when in fact I’m mostly daydreaming. A butterfly will come winging onto the scene, and I will scurry to Google to identify the species. My visitors today include a Painted Lady, two Fritillary’s, a Black Swallowtail and numerous skippers. I have seen plenty of bumblebees, who love the sage, but I haven’t seen a honey bee all summer. I don’t like to think about that.
My favorite visitors are the hummingbirds. I have a couple of feeders, but they prefer the bee balm and lantana. They are such a beautiful and amazing creature. Their sage green feathers blend perfectly with the foliage, but then they turn, hovering at just the right angle, and their iridescent ruby throats catch the rays of the sun. The color and effect is mesmerizing. I could watch them all day.
Despite their diminutive stature, hummers are incredibly feisty. They are very territorial, constantly sparring with the insects for control of a patch of flowers. But the real competition is with their fellow hummers. They split their time and energy evenly between feeding and chasing each other around the yard. The fact that there are multiple feeders and plenty of flowers does not seem to matter. It’s baked into their nature to aggressively defend their territory, no matter the drain on their time and energy.
I watch as one flies from the feeder to his favorite perch in the maple tree. He sits, watching and waiting, until his rival appears at the feeder, and then launches himself at full speed, diving straight towards the interloper. The rival beats a hasty retreat, with our hero in hot pursuit, disappearing into the woods or the neighbor’s yard. He eventually reappears, takes a sip from the feeder, and returns to his perch, ready for the next foray. This goes on all summer. I won’t belabor the point, but there seems to be a parallel between the hummers and us. Nature’s lessons are all around us.
This is my first blog post. I hope to publish once or twice a week. I want to thank my son, Connor, for creating my author website. Special thanks to all those who have read Counting Souls and commented! I’m currently working on the sequel (working title: Persimmon Creek), when I’m not staring out the window watching butterflies and hummingbird battles. I’ll keep you posted on my progress. Until next time, make every moment count.
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