Featherstone Quiltworks

Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds are so amazing.  Some statistics (from Wikipedia):

1. They weigh about 3 grams = .106 oz (a little over 1/10th of an ounce)
2. They are about 3″ long
3. The males are slightly smaller than the females, and have a shorter beak
4. They spend most of the winter in southern Mexico, Central America, South America, and the West Indies
5. In the fall, they become very territorial, defending their food supply.  They must add weight to their little bodies to have enough stored energy for the 500-mile flight across the Gulf of Mexico.
6. Average lifespan is 3-5 years
7. They have 940 or more feathers on average, more than any other bird (based on unit of feathers per body weight)
8. The throat area is not actually red.  The area is dark, but the feathers are faceted in a way that they appear dazzling red when light hits it at the right angle.

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And a good look at their amazing iridescence:

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We’ve noticed them spending a lot of time “resting” in the branches of the crab apple tree.

I think they’re really defending the feeders.  Either way, they’re doing whatever they can to eat a lot of calories and resting to conserve energy to prepare their bodies for their long migration south.

–Sue

…so I can get something done around here!  The hummingbirds have been way too much fun to watch.  There’s no way to tell how many are dining at our feeders (yes, FEEDERS!   I went out and bought two new feeders yesterday), but there  are definitely several.  Instead of waiting 20-25 minutes for a hummingbird to return, it’s only 3-5 minutes.

First, a blink — or maybe it’s a wink — from what I think is a juvenile male:

A silhouette as a hummer flies through the crab apples.  Doesn’t he look like a bomber, dropping apples?

This male is giving me the raspberry.  I love it when I catch their tongue out.

Maybe I’ll just keep the blinds closed today.

–Sue

I don’t mind though, because I find these half-done flowers strangely attractive.  Maybe it’s because I identify with them.

Maybe it’s because they have personality.

Or character.

I’m pretty sure the Monarch thinks this flower is just as beautiful as it was earlier in the season.

–Sue

I have to admit, as bugs go, these guys are just the coolest.  They are about the size of a quilting short needle.  Keep in mind, they are landing on blades of grass in the lawn.

So when you’re out admiring the flowers, remember to spend some time looking down at the grass!

–Sue

When I was out taking pictures of buggy critters the other day, there were quite a number of Monarchs, plus another butterfly I couldn’t identify.  Every once in a while, though, I would see a flash of blue on a butterfly.  It was a little smaller than a Monarch.

Sometimes I would get a brighter flash of blue, then it was gone.

Finally I got a good look at the “blue” top side:

After searching high and low on the ‘net for blue butterflies, to no avail, I finally stumbled across this guy’s identity:  a Red-Spotted Purple butterfly.

–Sue

Yesterday I strolled to the back of our townhouse to check out the wildflowers and various wildlife that make their homes back there.  What a difference two weeks makes!  Two weeks ago, there were Leaf Cutter Bees everywhere.  Now there are just bugs everywhere.  Lots and lots of bugs.  As an example, one small flower:

Most interesting to me was that long orange beetle in the upper left-hand corner.  I had never seen one before, and they were everywhere.  Oh, how I love the Internet!!!  I discovered they are Goldenrod Soldier Beetles, and they are actually desired by gardeners because they eat aphids and the eggs of undesirable sorts of insects.  There are ones in different colors, and they are named Soldier Beetles because the back resembles the British “Red Coats”.  Here are two of them, one with its wings open:

I thought this photo of a bumblebee really brings home how un-aerodynamic bees truly are (“Do these stripes make my butt look big?”):

That’s it for now.  Go ahead and shudder, but yes, I have more bugs for later!

–Sue

This is another little dragonfly, maybe only an inch or so long.  He was sitting half in the shadows, so the picture could be better.

What I am struck by, though, are the wings.

Do you suppose the first person to make lace had been sitting by a stream on a lazy summer afternoon, admiring dragonfly wings?

–Sue