The last (I hope!) of the cruel Winter winds blew this tiny hummingbird into a screen on the North side of our patio a few days ago. He was stuck fast by his tiny beak. I'm not sure how long the poor thing struggled to extricate himself from the screen that held him prisoner. I only wish that I could have found and freed him before it was too late.
A portion of our small veggie and herb garden is climbing high this year on the same arbor that framed our daughter's wedding ceremony on Pensacola Beach last year. Pea and thornless blackberry vines anchor the flimsy structure and provide a foreground for SAM, the perennial lawn care man.
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There is nothing flimsy about these structures under the arbor. They managed to hold up through weeks of wedding preparations as well as a strong sea breeze on that April day a year ago (note the ruffled hair on the sturdy female structure flanking the bride). The flowers and greenery framing them are fake, of course, but the smiles are real.
We lost most of our tropical plants this past winter, including the palm tree that our former renter planted. It was never meant for this climate. Apparently, she (the renter) wasn't the gifted horticulturist she thought she was. The citrus trees that I planted, pink grapefruit and satsuma, all died as well. Apparently, I'm not the "Master Gardener" I thought I was. I think I'll snip a few leaves from Sweet Melissa (lemon balm) and slink off to make myself some tea. Maybe listen to some Allman Brothers' music too.
How sad the little hummingbird. And the plants as well. Sometimes I forget we're zone 5 and it never turns out well....
ReplyDeleteThis year a late frost got all of the peaches before they'd even had a chance to drop the petals of the blooms... the pears too. It's been astrange winter.
ReplyDeletePoor hummingbird! I hope they didn't leave their warm winter homes too early this year. This winter has been a test for all gardeners, Master or not--I am still waiting to assess all the cold damage in my garden. Lovely photo with your daughter! I have a photo of my husband and I from our daughter's beach wedding on my Facebook page--I have the same windswept hairdo:)
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, TB. We used to live on the border between zone 5 and 6, and I was always yearning for certain plants that were meant for warmer climates. Sometimes I gave into the yearning and paid dearly for it:(
ReplyDeleteIt has been a strange winter, Claude. We had an ice storm, which is not unheard of around here but is pretty rare. And there were several prolonged cold snaps. I think that's what ultimately killed the tropical plants. We were down in the Keys when the first severe snap hit, so I wasn't here to cover things up. By the time we got home, it was curtains for the plants.
Rose, it did seem a little early to see a hummer already. I hope your plants are okay. You probably pay more attention to the limits of what your zone can handle. I tend to be an Outer Limits kind of gardener. As for the hair, at this point in my life it's fairly useful as a weathervane if nothing else.
How poignant to see the hummingbird! It just came at the wrong time...one good thing about it is,if any, it's now in your hand.
ReplyDeleteHere the weather has been very unstable and volatile too. A friend of mine who usually sends me lots of her veggies on my birthday in March said most of them were damaged this year.
However, now in my small garden, flowers are in full spring or swing.A dogwood tree, peony are beautiful,various flowers are covering the ground, roses are well prepared to bloom. Every morning I feel happy to find new flowers blooming.
Happy gardening from now,w2w!
So sad about the Hummingbird.
ReplyDeleteThe leaves of that plant looks like mint leaf.
Love those B&W pictures in the video.
Poor little birdie! I found a perished Hummer myself last year. IT was not a happy day for me but I was able to examine it and see up close the tiny feathers and at times, intimidating beak, sigh.
ReplyDeleteThe Arbor that keeps on giving and the memories will remain whether real or not real flowers within...
My Palm took a hard hit as well. I will have a posting on it soon. I have noticed a lot of huge palm trees that died with our brutal Winter. Not wanting another winter such as that any time soon...
Happy Gardening..
So sad to have discovered the hummingbird. Peace. May our gardens bring joy to birds. Have a great season.
ReplyDeletePoor little bird. Hummingbirds are so beautiful. Lovely wedding photo! Your daughter is gorgeous. You all look so happy.
ReplyDeleteHow did I miss this post? no idea!!!! Sorry to see the little dead bird. :(
ReplyDeleteThat picture of your smile on your daughters wedding day is priceless!!!! Just gorgeous!
Hope all is well in your world!
xoxo-Julie
Sorry, everyone, for taking so long to post your comments and respond.
ReplyDeleteCosmos, what a sweet thing to say. I hope your garden volatility is finally under control. Spring where we are now is still struggling to stay its course, but this week should finally be a calm, warm one.
Haddock, Melissa is in the mint family, hence the resemblance. I'm a little partial to those B&W pics too.
Skeeter, the bird is so small it's a wonder that it can fly at all. Poor thing was no match for that wind. As for the widespread damage in gardens, at least the spring flowers bursting out everywhere soften the blow. And we have so much fruit coming on the blueberries, plums, etc. I don't think I have ever seen such a fruitful year.
Thanks, Wayne. I think that the abundant fruit in my garden this year will bring much joy to the birds if nothing else.
Thank you, Sarah. I can't believe we (SAM and I) stressed out so much about the wedding. It was a very happy day. We can laugh now about the little frustrations and glitches.
It's okay, Julie! I have not been keeping up with blogging at all lately. I'm glad you did stop by. That's all that matters. Thank you! We are all doing well.
Ooh, the Allman Bros. Hadn't thought of them in years!! Hoping you are well.
ReplyDeleteGood seein you again! Been a while!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karen! Sorry it took me so long to post your comment. For some reason I thought that I had posted it. Anyway, I'm back to blogging. I'll check in with you soon.
ReplyDeleteHowdy, TC! Good to see you too. Stay warm.
ReplyDelete