It's my hummingbird indicator. If it's in bloom, it's time to put out the hummingbird feeders. This year, of course, the blooms were later than usual. Should I put out the hummingbird feeders anyway? I wondered. I hoped the little guys hadn't come through before the crossvine started blooming. I hadn't seen any, but there were reports of hummingbird sightings in Texas. They were beginning to migrate!
Then this past weekend, it happened. My husband came in from the garage and told me I needed to put the hummingbird feeders out - NOW! He had been buzzed by one!
We have cats. We are used to being bossed around by the animals we feed. The hummingbirds are no different. They are a demanding bunch. If there is no food out, they will get out attention somehow to let us know.
FEED ME!
I might as well be in some play about a carnivorous plant!
As I began to hang up the feeders for our little tyrants guests, I noticed it. The crossvine was just starting to bloom.
Right on time.
If you want to know more about crossvine (Bignonia capreolata), or want to see what this one looks like in full bloom, click HERE.
How funny that they come buzzing! Your blooms are spectacular! Enjoy watching your hummingbirds!
ReplyDeleteThey come back every year, and I guess they just assume we're supposed to have their food all laid out for them!
DeleteThey are fun little things to watch. I can't wait to start looking for nest!
ReplyDeleteMine don't like me to come close. I can never get a good picture. And I've never seen their nest. I'm almost certain they nest in the crabapples somewhere, but it would be so small, I don't think I'll ever see it!
DeleteHow funny that the animals boss you around-I have several here too but the hummers have never buzzed me. It's funny how those animals sure know how to maneuver us. The hummers are smart! Are the hummers right on time this year even though the crossvine is late?
ReplyDeleteNo, they're late, too. I guess we humans just don't have the ways of birds, or plants. They both knew that winter wasn't quite over! I think this is a great sign that spring has finally arrived!
DeleteHello Holley, oh, you have hummingbirds already! How I love them. They're so lucky to have your beautiful garden for their habitat. I also enjoyed your previous post about the boxwoods maturing. Gardening is all about patience, isn't it? And just like you, I can rarely sit and relax anywhere in our garden either, there's always something needing doing.
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see all the flowers blooming in your gardens.
It's funny -we gardeners make an area beautiful, but then can't enjoy it because every time we sit down, we spy a weed! :) We only get one kind of hummingbird here, but I am so glad we get these!
DeleteGlad you got your hummer feeder out... They were ready and waiting.... YES--my birdies are demanding also!!! I bought my Bluebirds some mealworms this week (they are expensive)... Hubby says that I spoil them... Yes I do!!!!! ha
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Betsy
I would have known that you spoil them - you are so sweet. But they give us such pleasure to see, so the payoff is worth it. :)
DeleteThe crossvines got it right all along, perfect timing! And so lovely to be visited by hummingbirds!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing, isn't it, how nature knows exactly what the weather will be - and when the hummingbirds will migrate. We humans can't figure it out, but nature just knows!
DeleteHow fun to have hummingbirds arrive! We saw one the other night and I saw one a few months ago so it makes me wonder if we have a couple that do not migrate. I need to put out a feeder and maybe I will have some luck. The crossvine looks like a trumpet vine to me, are they the same plant? I'll have to look it up. Have a nice day!
ReplyDeleteOh, do put out a feeder! You will love seeing them. And no, although they look similar, crossvine and trumpet vine are very different. Crossvine is much tamer - not invasive - and a native here.
DeleteYour crossvine is gorgeous. And it's evergreen for you - how nice. It's one of my favorites, but I could never figure out a good place for it. My husband doesn't want anything clinging to the siding, which limits the possibilities.
ReplyDeleteHow about along a fence? Or climbing up a tree? I've heard of people doing both, and being very pleased with the results. I hope you can find a spot for it. It's a great vine.
DeleteI have those blooming too...I'm glad you told me what it was...so hummingbirds will be out soon?? If so I want to put my feeders out.....
ReplyDeleteJanie, yes! Put your feeders up! I bet you will get some hummers coming to eat very soon! :)
DeleteLovely plant and so nice to have something that attracts the Hummingbirds to it.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
I do love the little hummers, even though they are quite demanding! :)
DeleteThe hummingbirds are out here too- love it- they are so fun to watch!!! And yes- are all over the Crossvine here.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it wonderful to see them feeding on the crossvine? I do love that vine. Mine is in a bit of shade, but it still makes a great showing every year.
DeleteI am so jealous - I love hummingbirds! I'll enjoy yours until ours show up :)
ReplyDeleteI hope they show up for you soon. I just love it when they finally arrive!
DeleteOh how sweet!! They are so tiny!! I have sugarbirds that behave the same way! Yes - I hear mine know! Best get out the feeder! THanks for your post.
ReplyDeleteSugarbirds! What a sweet name! I think we only put up with hummingbirds because they are so tiny. I have often said if they were large birds, we wouldn't put up with their bully ways! :O
DeleteDoes your crossvine stay manageable? I've heard they can get out of control...
ReplyDeleteCrossvine is very easy to control, and prune. I have never regretted planting my crossvine, and if I had the room, I would plant more. Trumpet vines, on the other hand, are growing wild in the woods around here - they are a little too aggressive and invasive for me!
DeleteI'm sure they appreciate all you do for them or else they would come back :)
ReplyDeleteThat is a gorgeous vine. Now April and I haven't even seen a bee yet!!
Oh, Angie, I'm so sorry winter is taking so long to leave. The flowers here are swarming with bees. They will be out and about in your garden soon, I'm sure!
DeleteIt will be a long time before the hummers return here, but your posting gives me hope! The lovely native vine doesn't grow here. It looks magnificent in your garden. P. x
ReplyDeleteAnything that migrates just amazes me. It's just incredible that they can travel so far, through so much weather, etc., and do it every year! I'm so glad humans don't do that!
DeleteWonderful coincidence of bloom and birds! These green surprises (miracles?) are what keeps me gardening! We have several demandng dogs, one of which barks at me in the morning from the minute we come in from our morning restroom break unitl I feed him. "Feed me Seymour!" Very funny, these demanding animal friends!
ReplyDeleteI've often thought that we really are the servants, and they the masters. We do all we can to please our pets, and all they need to do is sit a while, while we pet them! :)
DeleteOn a rare occasion we are lucky enough to have a passing hummingbird but I always put out nectar, just in case!
ReplyDeleteIf you keep putting it out, they will come! And then you will have to put out even more!
DeleteGreat to see hummers! It will be a while before they make it up to my area... I don't actually feed them, but they sip from many of the flowers around here.
ReplyDeleteMine like my flowers, too, but they appreciate the sugar water. I don't think I have enough flowers for them to make it through our hot and droughty summers without some supplement. But I do love seeing them enjoying the flowers!
DeleteIt's funny that the hummingbirds get angry that you are late with their dinner. I don't put out hummingbird feeders because it seems like they would need a lot of cleaning. I do have plants where they feed: trumpet honeysuckle, cardinal flower, pentas, etc.
ReplyDeleteThose feeders do need a lot of cleaning. And a lot of changing, daily when our weather gets very hot. So, they can become quite a chore. I don't have as many trumpet shaped flowers as I should. I need to add more of those to my garden.
DeleteIf you Google hummingbird migration map it will lead you to a site where people post as they see hummingbirds. The first 'scout' came through east Texas on March 16th. We have a native plant, Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia), which is pollinated by the hummers as they come through here.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to look up that Red Buckeye! I love seeing those little hummers. I guess I should be a bit more proactive in setting out the feeders. Maybe I would get more to stop!
DeleteWonderful you have the hummers now. Nature times the blooms perfectly, no? I will not see hem until late May. Some years it is April.
ReplyDeleteI am always afraid I'll miss them, so I watch the vine for its blooms. Of course, I guess I would have missed them anyway if they hadn't made their presence known!
DeleteOh how exciting!!! If you're getting them now then our little guys should be coming here soon! I just love Hummers! Since we're not expecting any more freezes, I'm going to go ahead and put out one of my feeders just in case "someone" comes by early!!! Thanks so much for letting me know!!!
ReplyDeleteMaybe they'll come early for you, since you'll be ready for them! They are fun to watch!
DeleteIt's a beautiful post, Holley. Your crossvine is stunning! I love it, but I don't have a wall as you do. I can't figure out where to plant it, but one day. . . . As for timing, God's, nature's, we gardeners are blessed to be a little in tune. For sure, you are.
ReplyDeleteI so agree with you about gardeners being in tune. Gardening makes you stop and notice the little things.
DeleteThat is a gorgeous plant and how lucky are you to have humming birds!! I've traveled to a few countries where they live and 'spotted' them for hours. They're just stunning. Can't wait to follow your garden over the months and hopefully see some photos :)
ReplyDeleteI love these little birds, too, but we only have one kind here. I would love to go somewhere and see the other types of hummingbirds. I can never get a good picture of them, they are much too fast for me. And even though mine are demanding, they are very shy!
DeleteOh how I wish I could see Humming birds in my garden here in England ! How fantastic would that be !
ReplyDeleteThat would be fantastic! They are amazing little things to see!
DeleteAlways makes me laugh how aggressive those tiny little birds can be for their size. They definitely know where to find food and how to make sure to get it.
ReplyDeleteThey really can be quite the bully. I worry so about them fighting among themselves for food. They are quite aggressive!
DeleteI have a hummer and his mate that visits me every year. Mr. buzzed by me in the garden last week. The feeders are now out! I'm near Dallas.
ReplyDeleteThey certainly know who feeds them! And they're not shy about asking for more! But, isn't it wonderful to have your 'own' return every year? I love that I can count on "my birds" to come back to me!
DeleteIncredible to have hummers already!! Yippeee and I love the vine.
ReplyDeleteYippee is right! I do love seeing these little birds returning every year. :)
DeleteWow! really the hummingbirds demand food!!? I wish they were here. Apparently they are in NJ, but where I don't know. Have you ever watched feed? You are lucky one. Do you have any pics?
ReplyDeleteMine are very shy, so I rarely get any pics, and never any close ups. You would think after all these years of feeding them, they would be more used to me. I have a bench under the feeder, and sometimes I sit there, just daring them to feed with me sitting there, but usually I decide I need to get back to work, and so I blink first!
DeleteHolley, I could kill for a hummingbee. Would like to invite you to join in with #Terrifying Tuesday next week - post a garden-related image that can take any form or shape that is vaguely disquieting.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the invite. Some of my weeds are very terrifying! :)
DeleteI am a fool for above SHOULD read #Terrified Tuesday
ReplyDeleteHolley, it's a pleasure to see hummingbirds in a garden!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice weekend!
I don't feed the birds - the hummingbirds are the only exception. They are just such a source of enjoyment! :)
DeleteI'd never seen hummingbirds in a domestic garden until I visited friends in Arizona, who, like you, feed them. How wonderful to be buzzed by one of these miraculous little birds!
ReplyDelete