Born To Hum
Hummingbirds are coming, and we can’t wait!
This speedy and small species says, “hey, you, pay attention” by pulling you out of your messy brain and asking you to admire their speed, their beauty, their magic…and do it quickly before they zip off again.
I had a call here at the Lake Valley Seed office last week from a customer who couldn’t find any Cardinal Climber seeds at her local store (they didn’t order them this year). She was thrilled to learn that she could get them from our website. “I can’t go without those seeds!” she said. “ Cardinal Climbers are the favorite of the hummingbirds here. You’ve got to try them!”
“ Cardinal Climbers are the favorite of the hummingbirds here. You’ve got to try them!”
Humming a New Tune
When the Covid pandemic descended and life shifted off kilter for all of us, some of us lost jobs and had “extra” time. When my job ended, I dug a big hole in the ground, with vague aspirations of building a huglekulture bed, mostly I just needed to dig. It was therapeutic. A neighbor stopped by to ask what I was doing and I answered, “digging a grave for my career in advertising”. There was no funeral.
But what came next was better and repeatedly taught me to focus on tangible and meaningful connections with the world around me. Up until then, hummingbirds were more conceptual with very occasional sightings. That was about to change when I became…a professional gardener. (cue the hero theme music).
The time I had previously spent on emails/calls/meetings/deadlines was now full of quiet, and beauty, and the space to begin paying attention. No matter how many times in a day I would manage to spot a speedy little fella–watching it dodge and dive bomb through the sky, or as it enjoyed the pollinator buffet, I felt as though I’d been given a gift. Not to be all mystical and kung fooey, but it also encouraged me to pause, take a deep breath, and give thanks for being in that place at that moment in time. They bring gratitude with their small but mighty attitude.
Track Their Progress
If you were to run from Central America or Mexico to get to your summer digs in the US you would need to keep your energy up. And not just convenience store candy, but good, healthy, reliable calories. Same with the hummingbirds, who travel up to 23 miles in a day, wings a flappin’ more than 1,200 times a minute. They really need to refuel when they can. We can help them by providing them with the best pollinator-appropriate snacks possible.
You know that thing where you become aware of something and suddenly you see it everywhere? By last summer I was seeing those zippy rascals all the time, pretty much everywhere I went. This year we’ll put out the welcome mat, and be sure we’ve planted some of those Cardinal Climbers. I’ll report back on the results. Why don’t you grow some too and we can compare notes?
