Little Gem

It's been a really exciting week here in My Florida Backyard, as we've logged hummingbird sighting after hummingbird sighting! In the last few years, we've spotted the very occasional hummingbird - literally one or two a year at most. This week, though, we've seen both males and females every day... and we even managed pictures!

They're not great pictures, admittedly, but we're so excited to have hummingbirds that it really doesn't matter. Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) migrate through central Florida in the spring and fall each year. Some people see them in great numbers as they pass through, while others see them only rarely. 

Once you're on the radar though, hummingbirds will often find you more consistently and in greater numbers. Interestingly, even though we put up a hummingbird feeder, the little birds have been consistently ignoring it in favor of nectar plants, like the Mexican Sage (Salvia leucantha) in these pictures. Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) and the new Salvia 'Wendy's Wish' we got last year have also proven very popular.

This is a male Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. You can tell by the dark patch under the chin. When the sun hits it at the right angle, it glows a brilliant ruby red. In other lights, the patch appears black. Females are much lighter underneath in all lights. We've seen both males and females this week.

I'm sure that for many of you hummingbirds are regular sights. For us, though, they're still rare enough to generate a lot of excitement, making this a really fun week in My Florida Backyard!

Middle of the Midwest

Have grown up in the midwest, we can't help but feel a fondness for an Ohio garden in mid-summer. Visiting my mom in the heart of Ohio's Amish Country last week gave us chance to admire those staples of a midwestern summer garden - Black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, Shasta daisies, hostas, and daylilies galore!

Some of these plants will grow in central Florida, but they don't thrive in quite the same fashion. Hosta here rarely receives the cold dormant winter period it requires, and certainly doesn't grow so prolifically that neighbors will happily let you dig up large clumps to start your own gardens. These plants are beloved up north as excellent ground cover almost anywhere, and the tall flower spikes that begin in mid-summer are a draw for butterflies and hummingbirds.

Speaking of butterflies and hummingbirds - we found Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies just about everywhere in Ohio this time of year. These are found in Florida as well, but they don't seem to be seen in such great numbers.

And the hummingbirds! They are rare visitors in My Florida Backyard, especially in the summer when the heat is simply too much for the tiny creatures. But in the midwest, Ruby-Throated hummingbirds are a common sight all summer long, visiting nectar plants and sugar water feeders throughout the day and tempting nature-lovers with cameras to take way too many pictures (we've narrowed it down to a couple of our favorite shots).

A midwestern sunset can be pretty beautiful, but at the end of the day, we're always happy to return to My Florida Backyard. In a few months, our gardens will still be full of blooms while those up north will be covered in snow, and that's something we just wouldn't trade for anything!