Aug 24 2009
Hummingbird Food
Hummingbird food, at least that found in nature, tends to be served on gorgeous platters. Well, it tends to be found among colorful flower petals (or bracts, as the case may be). The above photo of an immature blossom is from a backyard shrimp plant. Its segmented flower apparently resembles cooked shrimp. (Boy, do I wish the shrimp plants would grow real shrimp! I’d go munching my way through the garden, with or without a cup of cocktail sauce in hand. Sweet peas are nice, but . . . .)
Yesterday evening I watched, and listened to, a female ruby-throated hummingbird feed from matured shrimp plant blossoms. I knew it was a female hummingbird because it lacked the ruby throat coloration of the males. And because we only get one variety of hummingbird around here.
I wonder why there is only one species of this type of bird in central Florida. When I lived in New Mexico, we had several. At first blush it seems that the desert ecosystem wouldn’t be as diverse as that around here. But then again, drastic changes in elevation and varying amounts of rain isn’t something to overlook. And Florida lacks this. Do we also lack an overhead flyway from diverse environments that might funnel other types of hummingbirds here?
So many questions.
