2014: The Year of the Hummingbird

I personally think the hummingbird is one of God’s most amazing creations: so small, so quick, so mesmerizing. As a grower of what looks like a field of red cannas (it’s probably around a 20’ by 6’ garden in front of my office window), I get hummingbirds every year – I’ve named them (the same ones?) Harriett and Harry. They absolutely loooove those cannas – they’re there multiple times a day for 10-15 minutes at a time.

left - BJ's, right - Kohl's

This year more than ever I seem to be wanting everything hummingbirds. It started with a necklace I saw last fall in a BJ’s ad – Mom didn’t find it for Christmas, but she did find it in time for my birthday a few weeks later. This was later joined by a purple hummingbird necklace I found at Kohl’s.

Plow and Hearth

QVC then got in the act with a Plow and Hearth hummingbird wind spinner – that’s out by one of the veggie gardens. Aldi, which has some cool garden stuff this year, had a wrought iron hummingbird shepherd’s hook that made its way into the garden by my air conditioner. Even the local Dollar Tree store got in the act with these little plant stakes.

Aldi

Dollar Tree

Then Mom found me this beauty, which will likely make its way onto one of my Christmas trees (yes, I said “one of”…) this year.

Rontina's Hallmark

And finally, after spotting this cool wrought iron hummingbird stake on the Garden Walk Buffalo bus tour I took in July, I had to pick up my own when I found it at the Glen Park Art Festival.

Original found on Garden Walk Buffalo tour

Of, course, those all pale in comparison to the real thing. It seems like the minute my cannas bloomed, they were on them! I’ve also seen Harriett flittering around my red geraniums on my patio (keep that in my memory bank for next year!).

Harriett - 2013

all photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com.