Catching A Tiger By the Tail

I didn't really catch a tiger by the tail, but something sort of close to it.  I'll show you at the end of this blog post.  Spring is really popping around here.  The azaleas are about a week away from their peak blooms, but they look really nice.  These are an old fashioned variety called, Formosa, I think.  When we moved here 21 years ago, we brought several azaleas from my grandmother's house.  Two of them died in a drought, but one held on and is happy and healthy.  This azalea is easily 50 years old, perhaps more than that.  I always like plants that have memories attached to them.  It makes it more meaningful to walk around the yard.

The colors of this flower are so vivid and bright, you almost need sunglasses to look at them.  These old-fashioned Azaleas erupt in blooms in early spring and then they are just green shrubs until next spring.  Some people don't like that about them.  They've developed some new varieties that are dwarf and/or what they call Encore azaleas because they bloom more often and for longer.

Although the flowers are gorgeous, when we put the animals in the yard to eat the clover (which we'll be doing in upcoming days), we have to be real careful because azaleas are toxic to livestock.  I'll be sure to put the electric fence around the azaleas to protect the cows from getting poisoned.

Azaleas aren't the only thing blooming.  The red lilies we have bordering the picket fence in front of the garden are in full bloom as well.  We transplanted them to this location last year and they appear to be happy in the new spot.

And then of course, the amaryllis lilies are not wanting the azaleas and red lilies to get all the glory, so they are blooming too.  The flowers are attracting the honeybees and butterflies and perhaps, other creatures, as well.

After walking around looking at all the flowers in the yard, I walked into the garage and was about to go inside the house when I heard a tapping noise.  I put my shoes back on and began to investigate to see if I could locate where the noise was coming from.  And then I saw it!  It was repeatedly banging into the window.  I quickly got our crabbing net and captured the frightened and confused creature in the net.  I reached in and grabbed it with my hand.  A Ruby-throated Hummingbird!!!

This little guy weighed NOTHING in my hand.  So small.  So beautiful.  I was trying to be very gentle with the bird.  I know it was shaken up and scared.  It had been repeatedly flying into the window in the garage.  I held him in my hand and walked outside.  You can see his ruby red throat and his body was an iridescent  green color.  I was attempting to get a better photo of him before releasing him.

But my little hummingbird friend had other ideas.  When I opened my hand to hold him more comfortably, the hummingbird flew quickly straight upward.  I watched him as he zoomed up through the canopy of the big live oak tree and into the blue sky.  That was a fortunate occurrence to be able to hold a hummingbird in my hand.  I know of only one other person - my uncle, who has done that.  I think that may have been my last opportunity.  That hummingbird, I'm sure, learned his lesson to stay out of our garage.  I hate to think what might have happened to him had our cat, Ginger, discovered his plight before I did!!