Ideas For Your Backyard

We’ve had an unusally warm spring. Beautiful as a matter of fact! That being said the last few days have been cooler and rainy. We need the rain so I’m not complaining. This morning while I was sitting on the porch looking out over the farm and watching the birds. I was surprised by a tiny little visitor. We have our first hummingbird of the year. This was one of the ruby throated. I can’t say that we’ve ever seen a ruby here until now. They are absolutely exquiste.

Hummingbirds are birds in the family Trochilidae, and are native to the Americas. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings 12–90 times per second (depending on the species). They can fly backwards, and are the only group of birds able to do so.   Their English name derives from the characteristic hum made by their rapid wing beats. They can fly at speeds exceeding 34 mph.

Hummingbirds feed on the nectar of plants and are important pollinators, especially of deep-throated, tubular flowers. Like bees, they are able to assess the amount of sugar in the nectar they eat; they reject flower types that produce nectar which is less than 10% sugar and prefer those whose sugar content is stronger. Nectar is a poor source of nutrients, so hummingbirds meet their needs for protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, etc. by preying on insects and spiders, especially when feeding young.

Wouldn’t you like to start feeding hummingbirds and draw them to your backyard, it can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummingbird