#hummingbird feed recipe

[thestudentfarmer]

Woke a bit early today and heard my kitty in her window seat going squirrely, so took a lil peak out and saw this

On the left is likely a chickadee, on the right I believe is a Gila woodpecker. Usually I see them on the power lines, picking for bugs.

This visitor also drinks sugar water, which suprised me! Turns out I may need to get a few more hummingbird feeders than expected lol.

I make my sugar water 1 pt plain sugar:4 parts water (I do use filtered to keep cleaning of the waterer to a minimum of human handling) mix till clear and fill.

🧇absolutly no red dye🧇

Even though there's not really any studies done on it I'm pretty sure, just like us humans, that red dye messes with bird bodies long term. And since I try not to use them myself, I'm sure the birds don't want it either.

Info blurb,

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gila_woodpecker

https://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/Gila%20Woodpecker.php

That's it for now :)

[sekhisadventures]

Leza, Apprentice Fire Mage

(Artist's Rendition of Leza by xHyperwolfx )

Important Stories:

Firefox: After meeting the mage Nelen Fullmoon, Leza is gifted some of his collection of books to feed her love of reading... one of which is Nelen's spellbook from when he was an apprentice at Dalaran.

Azure Light in the Winter Sky: Leza, now Nelen's apprentice and a fire mage, and her teacher are at the Azure Archives when Alalestria Wintersky attempts to use the power of the Archives in a bid to kill Samantha Montebank.

Familiar: When Leza's sister, Sekhi, is stranded in Khaz Algar following Dalaran's destruction at the hands of Xal'atath, Leza joins with Avalon and Savage United, taking a ship and sailing to the isle ahead of the Alliance and Horde. En route they are attacked by a school of naga, and Leza awakens to a new aspect of her magic to save them.

Race: Vulpera

Class: Mage, Fire School

Eye Color: Pale violet

Birthplace: Vol'dun

Residence: Her family's cart, wherever it may be at the moment.

Abilities:

Apprentice in Fire Magic: Leza has only recently awoken as a mage and has wound up apprenticed to Nelen Fullmoon. Despite him being a member of the Alliance he feels sympathy to the young vulpera after helping to save her from a mob of Primalists following her accidentally setting fire to her family's cart when she first awakened and lost control of her magic.

Null Bracers: As a safety precaution during her training, and at Leza's request (she is afraid of accidentally doing damage to her family's home again,) Nelen worked with Nitika and Jaie to craft her a set of bracers with enchanted Malygite crystals set in them. When Leza says a specific phrase the bracers enforce a magical null on her, essentially silencing her magic. She can turn this off and on at will, which gives her a feeling of security while she learns to control her new powers.

Bookworm Vulpera: Leza is a big reader, which is a rarity among the vulpera. While they would keep written records of their cart stock, cooking recipes, and medicine ingredients reading for pleasure is a rarity among them as cart space is limited and most caravanners from Vol'dun would prioritize trade goods and essentials out of necessity. Leza loves reading and is quite eager to see her teacher's library when they get the chance.

Spellfire Phoenix: Since her travels to the Isle of Dorn Leza is often accompanied by a familiar in the shape of a hummingbird made of flames. She is able to transform it into a larger hawk-like bird, big enough for the vulpera herself to ride on. She can indeed ride it, or she can fight alongside it, the phoenix able to use arcane fire magic the same that Leza can. Its her familiar so any spell she knows, it knows, though it can only use fire based ones. Doing such advanced spellwork is incredibly draining to Leza, and she can only keep it manifested for a short time. She will often collapse once the phoenix vanishes.

History

Leza is the second of four children, born to the vulpera Atu and Risala. She grew up as part of Kiro's cavern in Vol'dun with her elder sister Sekhi and her younger twin siblings Zato and Eeda. When she was very young her older sister heard the call of the elements and became a shamaness, eventually joining a group of mercenaries calling itself Savage United.

Five years after this, her family was trading on the Dragon Isles when she met one of her sister's friends. A worgen mage by the name of Nelen Fullmoon. The mage showed her how he had an extensive library that he could access using a hand-mirror to create a portal big enough to reach through, allowing her to borrow several of his tomes. Among them was an apprentice's spellbook from his own childhood at Old Dalaran before the original city fell to the Scourge during the Third War.

Nelen had done this at Leza's request, thinking it harmless. Unless one had the potential to use arcane magic it was just an ordinary book… but it turned out Leza had that potential, and she almost destroyed her family's cart and nearly injured her mother. Terrified by what she'd done, she fled into Thaldraszus before she could lose control of her magic again.

She was found by a group of primalists, one of their sin'dorei members able to sense arcane magic use. The primalists were set to kill her for the crime of using "Titan Magic," but she was rescued by her sister and several of her allies. Upon seeing what the primalists had done to her the normally more reserved shamaness became enraged and unleashed the full extent of her shamanistic power on the primalist mob that had found her sibling, creating a tremendous sandstorm that killed them to a man.

Afterwards, Nelen offered to take Leza under his wing, making the vulpera girl his apprentice. He gifted her a spellbook penned by his own hand, along with a novice's wand crafted by another of their friends and a set of bracers set with Malygite stones that could be used to create an artificial magic null that Leza could activate if she feared losing control of her magic again.

Trivia

Leza actually does make a small appearance in the story before she becomes a mage. During the "Three Years of Peace" she is with her parent's caravan when Galdia, Sekhi, and Nitika accompany it to Mulgore. At this time however she is incapable of using magic yet and is an ordinary vulpera child.

Leza suffers from eyestrain, as does her teacher Nelen. The reason being that reading by camplight, torchlight, or candlelight is very strenuous on the eyes, which is why they both require corrective lenses. Yes they could simply not do that, but tell any bookworm this and then let me know what kind of reaction you get. They tend to be pretty funny.

Leza is currently the only member of Sekhi's family who is capable of fighting besides Sekhi herself, however sharp eyed readers might notice that their twin siblings, Zato and Eeda, have expressed interest in archery (Zato) and martial arts (Eeda) so this may change depending on how long I keep this story going.

[cshopguide]

[:en]How to Make Hummingbird Food Sugar Water: Simple Recipe & Feeding Tips[:]

[:en] Create a thriving hummingbird habitat with this essential guide to preparing safe, natural nectar. Our science-backed method ensures optimal nutrition while protecting these delicate pollinators. What You’ll Need Pure white granulated sugar and filtered water – nothing else. Avoid substitutes like honey (promotes fungal growth) and artificial colors (potentially toxic). Use stainless steel…

[therealhealth]

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[eazy-group]

How To Attract Hummingbirds To Your Campsite

New Post has been published on https://eazycamping.net/how-to-attract-hummingbirds-to-your-campsite/

How To Attract Hummingbirds To Your Campsite

Wildlife viewing makes camping fun! You don’t have to be an avid bird-watcher to enjoy hummers. They may visit your camping area naturally but if you want larger groups of them, you need to know how to attract hummingbirds to your campsite.

Psst we’re compensated…see our disclosures.

You can HEAR THE BIRDS in the VIDEO by turning up the VOLUME.

Hit the “STAY” button in the bottom right corner to watch the entire video. If you want to re-watch it again, just refresh your browser.

Home vs Campsite Hummingbird Attraction

There is one big difference between feeding hummingbirds at a campsite vs at your home. These little birds like to return to the same feeding spots over and over again.

Experts say after you hang a new hummingbird feeder, typically 2 WEEKS will pass before you receive your FIRST visitor to new food sources!

That’s a huge problem! You are usually in a camping location for a short period of time. If you have to wait two weeks before the little critters find your feeder, you’ll probably be long gone! And, if they do find you sooner, the birds won’t have many chances to return like they do at your home.

Home Landscape Design vs Untouched Nature

People who love hummers actually design their landscapes and gardens to naturally attract the birds.

One of the most common places to hang a hummingbird feeder at your home is in your flower garden that is filled with plants and flowers that are already attracting the birds.

There is no such thing as a hummingbird garden when you’re camping. So, what are your options? You need to look for nectar-producing wild flowers that have long tubular shapes and produce nectar that will attract the birds.

Caution: Unwanted Wild Animals

Be aware of the potential dangers of attracting unwanted critters to your campsite hummingbird feeding station.

Your hummingbird feeder placement may attract bears. Some campgrounds prohibit the feeding of hummingbirds for this reason. If you are camping in bear country and you are allowed to feed hummers, be very cautious. You may want to take the feeders down before it gets dark so they are not tempting the bears overnight. Check out more safety tips while camping in bear country.

Hummingbird Behaviors

When you are assessing your campsite to determine the best place for hummingbird feeders, it is good to know the common ways different species of hummingbirds behave.

#1 Hummingbirds Are Territorial

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are my personal favorites but they can be intimidated by rufous hummingbirds which are much more aggressive. You can hang multiple feeders in different areas so less dominant birds have a chance to drink from your feeders. At your home, you can do this by hanging feeders on opposite sides of the house or garden. At the campsite, you can hang feeders on opposite sides of your tent or RV.

Once hummingbirds find your feeder, they will keep an eye on it from afar. They will look for a spot that has a commanding view of the feeder so they can ward off other hummingbirds that try to drink from it. A good perch for the territorial hummer usually consists of a tree branch, wire or bird feeder pole.

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#2 They Are Attracted To Colors

Natural sources of nectar are often found in flowers that have red, pink and orange colors. That’s why most hummingbird feeders are predominantly red.

These fast-fliers have keen eyesight and they can see colors that humans can’t see because they can process ultraviolet light. So, don’t think you need to add red food coloring or dye to your hummingbird food to attract them … they don’t need it and that stuff is not good for them.

Hummingbird Feeder With 5 Feeding Ports

  #3 Creatures Of Habit

After the first time a hummingbird discovers your feeder, you can expect them to return. These little guys can only handle so much nectar at a time. The best way to ensure frequent visits is to leave the feeder in the same location and keep it filled with a good nectar solution.

#4 Multiple Nectar Locations

Don’t be upset when a hummingbird leaves your feeder to visit a wildflower for their next meal. They like to fly to different nectar sources as they dine … sort of like me at the dessert table of a buffet-style restaurant.

#5 Feeling Safe Is Important To Them

These tiny birds don’t like being exposed in an open area without protective cover. They like feeding in areas that are near “safe zones” where they can fly for protection, like dense foliage, trees and bushes.

#6 Other Food Sources For Hummers

Did you know hummingbirds eat small insects? Overly ripe fruit will attract fruit flies which will then attract hummingbirds.

A Place Where The Hummingbirds Dance

When we are camping, our goal is to create a stage for the hummingbirds to dance. That means we use multiple feeders that are placed in strategic locations. Here are the things we consider.

The Best Place To Position Hummingbird Feeders

Where to place feeders to attract the largest number of hummingbirds is specific to your individual location … whether you are at home or in the wilderness.

The best options have commonalities based on the typical hummingbird behaviors we just discussed. When you are looking for the right position, consider different locations that will be:

#1 Visible To The Birds But Near Shelter

If hummingbirds can’t find your feeder, they won’t come! Make sure you place the feeder in a highly visible place at your campsite. Once they see it, they’ll need a nearby hiding place to watch their new-found food supply. So, the location should not be in totally open space … it should have a clear view from a safe spot that has some sheltering plants or trees. I’ve read statistics that say your feeder should be no further than 10 – 15 feet from a safe protection zone.

#2 Convenient For You

You’re attracting hummingbirds for your enjoyment so make sure the feeder location is within view of your relaxation zone … just make sure that hummingbirds cannot get trapped inside tents or RVs.

If you are camped in one location long enough, you’ll also need the feeder within easy reach for refilling and cleaning.

You probably don’t want the feeder hanging too close to your gear in case it drips. The sugar water will attract ants and if you are dry camping, you don’t want to be cleaning your equipment when you are trying to reduce your water consumption.

#3 Safe Distance From Windows

Window collisions are dangerous for all types of birds. You either want to hang the feeder directly on the window with a suction cup hanger or place it far enough away from the window to prevent crashes, generally 15 – 20 feet is sufficient.

Window Mount Suction Cup For Mini Hummingbird Feeders

  When the outdoor nature landscape is reflected in the glass, birds may have a tendency to fly directly into the glass. This can be avoided by placing decals on windows.

If a male bird sees its own reflection, it may think it’s seeing a rival bird, try to attack it and smash right into the glass.

Be conscious of the windows in the area and place your feeder in a safe location.

#4 Away From Predators & Pests

The question: Should hummingbird feeders be high or low?

The answer: As high as necessary for the safety of the birds. You want to make sure the hummers are out of reach from predators (including house cats!)

We are cat people and, yes, we do take our furry kids camping with us! Our cats are indoor pets so they get to enjoy the nature show from our RV’s big back window where we have small hummingbird feeders hanging on suction-cup hooks.

In addition to domestic pets, you want to keep the hummingbirds protected from wild animals and pests. Ants, bees and wasps are particularly annoying and can be deterred if you use feeders with ant moats and bee guards.

I have a friend, Charlotte, who is a Master Beekeeper. One of her useful tips for keeping bees away from hummingbird feeders is to use red-only hummingbird feeders because red attracts hummingbirds but yellow attracts insects … including bees! If your feeders have yellow feed ports, she suggests painting them with non-toxic red paint.

#5 Isolated From Other Birds

Hummingbirds don’t like feeding near larger birds. So, if you have seed feeders or suet feeders that attract other bird species, you’ll want to position them in a separate area away from the hummingbird feeders. Remember when you are feeding birds, you may also attract small animals to your campsite so anticipate the arrival of squirrels, mice and other rodents.

#6 Out Of Direct Sunlight

Direct sunlight and hot weather are a bad combination because mold growth happens rapidly. If the nectar spoils before the hummingbirds consume all of it, you’ll need to thoroughly wash your feeder before refilling it.

The hot sun of the summer months is the worst scenario, but mold can grow in the cold winter too … it just occurs at a slower pace.

A great way to delay (or even avoid) mold growth is to hang your feeders in a shady location.

#7 Properly Spaced

If you hang multiple feeders, you’ll probably attract more hummingbirds AND keep them around your campsite for longer periods of time. Space the feeders so the birds have room to fly around as they visit multiple nectar sources near your camp.

#8 Protected From The Wind

Strong winds cause feeders to sway and leak … which, in turn, attracts more ants and bees than the usual non-leaking feeder. Look for spots to hang feeders where they are protected from severe windy conditions.

Where To Hang Hummingbird Feeders At Campsites

After years of experience I have great ideas that bring the best results to attract hummers to your camp.

My advice on where to place hummingbird feeders is different for each campground so use the above tips when you assess your individual campsite.

You don’t need THE right place to hang a feeder if you hang multiple feeders. You only have a short period of time to attract and enjoy these birds so use as many feeders as you have to get the party started.

Having multiple feeders almost ensures you’ll have a larger number of birds because the aggressive birds can’t be at all the feeders all the time … this prevents the fighters from dominating your entire collection of feeders.

Tree Branches

If you are camping in the woods, you’ll probably have plenty of tree branches for hanging your feeders. That is one of the reasons we love White Mountain Arizona camping!

Shepherds Hooks

Not every camping destination is in the forest. If you’re camping in the desert or on the beach, try using a shepherd’s hook to hang your feeders.

Shade Awnings

Many campers use portable shade structures while they are camping. The frame structure is a great spot for hanging your hummingbird feeders so they get up-close and personal with you when you are relaxing on your trips.

RV Awnings

If you camp in an RV that has an awning, the awning arms work really well for hanging your feeders. Just make sure you remove the feeders before retracting the awning … especially if you are in a hurry and racing to bring your awnings in before a storm with heavy winds.

RV Windows

The side of your house on wheels is a great place to hang window feeders … I can’t think of a better way to make washing dishes fun! With the right angle, kitchen window hummingbird feeders can actually get you more help with kitchen chores! Make sure you use lightweight feeders that are securely held by suction cups that attach the feeder to a window.

Your Hands

Nope, this is not a typo! Hand-feeding hummingbirds is AWESOME! If you use the right feeder you’ll have a better chance to attract them close enough to start feeding them within a few minutes.

Handheld Hummingbird Feeders

  Hummingbird Food Recipe Without Boiling Water

Hummingbirds feed on the nectar in native plants but the tiny birds will be happy to indulge in anything that is a similar sugar solution. If you want to make your own nectar to fill your feeder, you can just mix your own. Some bird lovers mix equal parts water to sugar. Other recipes call for 1 part sugar to 4 parts water.

Other enthusiasts say it depends on the time of year … the little birds need more water in the hot seasons so they don’t dehydrate but more sugar in the cold seasons when they need energy for their long migrations … so … you can sweeten up the mixture to 1 part sugar to 3 parts water.

If you use too much sugar, the mixture can actually harm the hummingbirds by causing dehydration, deficiencies of calcium, weakening muscles and malformed bones so please AVOID ratios of 1:2 or 1:1 sugar to water.

Hummingbirds are attracted to bright colors, especially red, orange and pink, so many people use some sort of red dye or red food coloring in their homemade hummingbird food … thinking it will attract more birds … that is not the case.

Artificial sweeteners and colors can harm the birds so please avoid using them. Using red feeders is sufficient to provide the color the birds identify with as a food source. Finding a good place to hang your feeder is the most important factor in attracting hummingbirds to your camping site.

DO Use:

Refined pure white table sugar

Clean drinking water

Do NOT Use:

Raw sugar

Organic sugar

Brown sugar

Powdered sugar

Artificial sweeteners

Honey

Why? These ingredients may contain iron which is toxic to hummingbirds. Conversely, the processing of regular table sugar removes the molasses that contains the iron. Honey can cause fungal overgrowth which needs to be avoided.

Simple No-Boil Hummingbird Food Recipe

1/4 cup plain white table sugar

1 cup drinking water

Place ingredients in a clean container with a tight-fitting lid. (I like using my hiking water bottle.)

Tighten the lid and shake the container until all of the sugar is completely dissolved.

Fill your favorite hummingbird feeders with the food.

Store any unused sugar water in a refrigerator or cooler up to a week.

Cleaning Hummingbird Feeders

This is one of the most important tips I want to share. Not only do dirty and moldy feeders discourage the hummingbirds from visiting … if they do drink from them … the little critters can get sick.

Whenever you clean your nectar feeders, use hot water and a clean brush to remove all mold from the feeder without using chemicals that can harm the birds.

Bottle Brush Cleaner Set

  Smaller feeders are particularly difficult to clean after they get moldy so try to prevent the mold from forming in the first place.

Hummingbird Viewing During Camp Trips Has Benefits

One of the things I love about camping is slowing down and smelling the roses … or, uh, watching the hummingbirds dance. Don’t get me wrong … it’s not that I don’t notice the hummingbirds in the Valley … it’s that I don’t take the time to notice them for more than a few seconds at a time.

And when I do notice them, it seems they are trying to kill each other. So, I’m not sure if it’s my imagination, but it seems like the hummingbirds in Arizona’s High Country are friendlier … to each other and to humans.

They seem to be a little more willing to let you get up-close-and-personal.

Or then again, maybe it’s just me … slowing down to really see their performance. I highly recommend you try it. You just might find more than a couple of tiny creatures doing the waltz.

Our Favorite Place To Watch The Hummingbirds Dance

We love seeing our backyard birds when we are at home and they are romping around in our bird bath and water fountain and dining at our feeders. But, when we’re camped, the best hummingbird viewing location is when we’re enjoying Arizona Mogollon Rim Camping.

We go there to take our 2-week vacation in the summer and by the time we leave, I think we’ve fed as many hummers as you find in the entire United States … maybe even all of North America.

Well, that is a slight exaggeration but we do enjoy A LOT of hummingbirds there. We realized it is a great spot for attracting the birds after we visited the fire lookout tower and the lady working there had swarms of them at her feeders!

FREE Printable Trip Planner

Enjoying Your Camping Meals Alongside The Birds

You can almost plan on dinner with the hummingbirds if you time your meal correctly. They like to eat their evening meal just before the sun goes down. Here are some awesome recipes to feed your family too!

Source

[anbuselvi1]

How to Make Hummingbird Food

How to Make Hummingbird Food

How to Make Hummingbird Food The apodiform bird feeder I’ve persisted the structure is one of all my sudden joys in life. I originally decorated it as a result of hummingbirds unbroken checking out a selected spot-I’m convinced my house’s previous house owners decorated a feeder there-and each summer they show up once more and demand I feed them. So I do. The garden store sells bottles of…

[ostdrossel]

Hi. I saw your hummingbird feeder post and I’m wondering what you recommend to feed them?

All of my online research has me very confused as to what is healthy to feed hummingbirds. Thanks!

The recipe is one part sugar, four parts water. If you have chlorinated tap, don't use that but bottled water. We have a reverse osmosis filter system, and I use that water. It should be white granulated cane sugar. Don't use the stuff with the red dye, it is suspected to be harmful. Check it often, especially during hot days, to make sure that no mold develops and it does not get bad. I make a batch and store it in the fridge and replenish as often as I see fit.

Honey is not recommended, so is organic sugar, turbinado or brown sugar.

Edit to add that of course planting native flowering plants is always a good way to lure butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden as well. I have a large wildflower patch and trumpet vines and salvia all over the property, but they haven’t even bloomed yet. In that waiting time before nature goes into full floom, feeders can help.

[lady-of-glass-and-bone]

Caught Within Your Stare

For @the-purity-pen Kinktober 2021

Day 6: Food play || Deep throating

Pairing: Ezra x gender neutral reader

Warnings: BEGONE MINORS! oral sex (male receiving), deep throating (I did my best), food, eating/cooking, food play, fluffy as fuck

A/N: Me, pouring my undying love for crepes into writing? Absolutely. This is kinda the same reader from Cycles so Ezra's nickname for them is Hummingbird.

                                         18+ below the cut!

Ezra isn't completely sure where you found the recipe but he thanks Kevva that you did, for more than one reason. The soft, thin pancakes that you insist are called crepes, rolled and filled with whatever fruit lays about unused on the kitchen counters, mean lazy days and soft conversations about nothing in particular.

The inspiration to make them strikes you at the most unusual times. Most often during the mid-morning hours that stretch deep into the afternoon as you toss ideas together, sweet and savory, to pair them with.

He has offered his help, as he always does, but knows that when you decline it is because you find the simple, rote movements of the baking process soothing and not at all because you believe he would hinder the task in any way.

(You had seen him go through many months of re-teaching himself how to move about life with one arm, not just physically but mentally too, and never once doubted his capability.)

You have it down to a fine art, this slightly messy business of crepe making that you undertake every so often. And he watches, mostly from the table with a warm mug steaming in front of him, as you go about it.

This is your calm, your solid ground where you know all the rules and possible pitfalls to avoid. Nothing surprises you here, no lurking anxiety. He is happy to be allowed a space here as well.

It all gives your mind room to wander and like always, he only gleans the bare minimum of whatever has you grinning at him between mouthfuls and standing to reheat the syrupy filling.

It's only when you saunter back to him, telling him to turn fully towards you in his seat with a sweet smile does he begin to understand.

He complies, feeling the molasses slow turn this day has taken when you dip two fingers into the freshly warmed bowl of glistening fruit compote and ease yourself to sit on his lap.

Nothing he has ever seen in his Kevva forsaken travels matches the sight of you perched atop him, relaxed confidence shining in your eyes, as you trace the sticky mixture across your bottom lip.

Back and forth, once and then twice, before you suck them into your mouth with a hum that makes his breath catch. Sounding so dangerously close to the way you react when he gets on his knees to worship you with his mouth.

"Hummingbird" he grips your thigh tight, unaware of when his hand even settled there, and feels you bear down ever so lightly on his hardening cock.

"Would you like a taste, Ezra?" you lean in, fingers having been released from your mouth.

"Taste you? Why that is an offer I would never turn away, not for the whole universe."

With that, you press an open mouth to his, pushing out your bottom lip in an offering which he takes gladly, nipping and then soothing over it. Collecting your deep exhale and the smooth sugary gloss on your lip in one long kiss.

It's warm, succulent, with the tart of the apple it was simmered with and beneath that, is you. Just as alluring a flavor as any you could create with your hands.

It sends his mind into a spiral when you pull away, down to your knees before him, taking your time pulling open the front of his pants without taking your eyes from his.

"Ezra" you lean up, forehead touching his where he is bent forward, pulled to you like a magnet.

"Hmmm" he practically vibrates when your hand wraps around him, practiced at easing his cock to attention in a way that puts his heart in his throat.

"Could you feed me a spoonful of the fruit, just the syrup, please?" the tone of your voice sounds like a question, but when he looks, really looks, your eyes are set. Determined.

He can only nod, reaching blindly out for what you've asked of him even when your gentle grip on his cock turns tight enough to strangle a groan from him.

Eventually, the generous helping of syrup is fed to you and the spoon clatters back onto the table when Ezra spots the way you lean in.

He doesn't know what he expects, but the slippery warmth of not only your welcoming mouth, but the added glide of the thick heated compote takes the wind out of his lungs, ecstasy singing in his veins.

"Fuck, Birdie, you-"

And then you swallow. The syrup and his cock, grip it all in your throat. You hold yourself there, swallowing again and then for a half a heartbeat more before pulling back to tongue the underside of the head of his cock.

It's all slick, feverish, and tingling. His right leg trembles with every drooling lick you give him, feelings that crashes every thought in his brain to pieces except you.

"Can I have another taste, Ezra?" you rasp up at him, the meaning behind your innocent words crystal clear to him now.

[thestudentfarmer]

1.5.2025

A new year!

That means lots of new things and experiences to come, experience and enjoy (or not! It won't always be great)

Resolutions felt weird to set, So this year I figured I'd reword resolutions to goals and things I look forward to or want and aim to do.

This year.....

I want to finish 3 quilts.

I want to try 5 new food recipes.

I aim to extend my garden to make a floral/herbal/"wildgrow" area.

I aim to reduce the trash leaving my home as much as possible this year.

I will at some point have a composter. What style is don't know yet. But I aim to make compost.

I have a goal of all cloth textile brought into the home that is new, being cotton or other compostable material. Secondhand or thrifted for other cloth textiles. (Except socks. and a few other small things for health and safety)

I aim to hatch 12 chicks.

A small update garden update~

The hummingbirds are getting more comfortable with me being around and out while they chill and feed. I believe this is an Anna's hummingbird. (A wiki link below)

2 people have also seen a roadrunner in the neighbourhood! Myself being one, I happened to spot the little guy heading out of the garden into a neighbours yard. I am hoping to catch a picture to share, but am not certain that is a visitor that will be seen regular as their rare to see normally aside from being fully out of the city. No sightings of the hawks in a bit, but there is a pair of the lovebird parrots that hang around the telephone poles regularly now. Caught the woodpecker drinking from the sugar feeder again.

Peas are growing in, hoping for pods soon :D

Carrot seed bed.

Yellow squash

Tomato's.

I put up some heater lamps for the chickens. It's supposed to drop around low 30s (*f) the next few weeks in the early hours (due to that big storm) and I want to make sure they'll be comfortable. Also took some measures to protect our exterior pipes from freezing.

More info on critters~

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna's_hummingbird

That's it for today's post. :)

🌱🐦Happy Urban Homesteading 🐦🌱

[thehellcatcroons]

Kyrie Head Canons

She actually isn't too terribly bothered by profanity, she thinks it's funny sometimes. However, she thinks it's even funnier when Nero gets flustered over people cussing in front of her, so she lets him think that it bothers her more than it actually does. She quite enjoys his “don't act like a barbarian in front of my proper lady” act.

Kyrie volunteers at the orphanage and offers singing lessons to the orphans who want to learn how to sing

She has a little ukulele that she brings along and uses for lessons, sometimes she makes up little songs here and there

She loves to cook and bake, and puts her whole heart into everything she makes. She regularly makes baked goods for her neighbors and the other volunteers at the orphanage. She also loves to watch cooking and baking shows, and will enthusiastically attempt any new recipes that she sees on them right away.

Her two favorite movie genres are raunchy/crude comedy and horror

She's secretly a thrill seeker and loves things like carnivals and rides

She's indescribably grateful for Nico, and adores Nero's friendship with her. She likes listening to their banter, and will go out of her way to invite Nico over as often as she can.

She sings Nero to sleep every night, delicately playing with his hair as she does.

She's a natural caretaker, the “mom friend” if you will. She's always making sure that her loved ones are always well feed and cared for.

Kyrie can sew extremely well, and often mends Nero's clothing after he comes home from jobs to save money. She'll mend some of Dante's clothes from time to time as well.

She enjoys painting, and is actually quite good at it. Nero insists on framing and hanging her paintings around their home.

Kyrie is well known in her community not just from her singing, but for being a huge part of the community as well. She volunteers, helps with the community garden, and even helps out with organizing when Fortuna has festivals.

Lemon is her favorite flavor of all time. She loves lemonade, and any baked good with lemon in it. Nero will often surprise her by bringing home some form of lemon based treat after working a job.

She loves puzzles and board games and she tries to round up the DMC Crew every now and again for game nights at her and Nero's place.

Despite her terrible ordeal with The Order, she has not lost her faith in “good” demons (Sparda, Dante, Nero,) and is never off put by Nero's demonic powers.

She bird watches when she can, often waking up early to do so. She knows all of the native species in Fortuna, and knows everything about them. Song birds are her favorite, but she loves hummingbirds too.

She loves to hike, and often goes for long hikes when Nero and Nico are out on jobs. She knows her way around the mountains and jungles of Fortuna well, and is well versed in taking care of herself out in the wilderness.

There's a small group of native deer in the Fortuna mountains that Kyrie has been feeding for years. They trust her enough to let her pet them.

She constantly tells Nero that when Dante and Vergil get back from Hell, she's going to invite them both over for dinner. She's excited that he has family, and she wants to get to know them too.

Kyrie cried tears of joy when Nero came home with his new arm, not only happy to see her love in one piece, but happy that he came home “all put back together.”

“Why don't you invite Nico inside for some food?” Is a question she asks every time Nico is picking Nero up, or dropping him off.

She's an incredibly friendly person, and goes out of her way to make everyone she encounters feel welcome and special.

Nico had to stop her from hunting Nero down in a fit of disappointed anger when they found out he left the hospital early after getting his arm ripped off. Kyrie is normally very calm and collected, but can get upset when Nero is being reckless and stubborn. She'd even asked Nico how fast she could make her a gun because she was ready to mow down hoards of demons herself to find Nero. (Nico was stunned, but managed to calm her down and let her go look for him instead.)

Despite seeming like an “innocent church girl,” she has a few small tattoos. She has a goldfinch (species of song bird) on the upper right of her back, a pink carnation on her left ankle, and a butterfly on her inner left wrist. They each hold a deep meaning to her. The songbird is a representation of herself, and since yellow is her favorite color, she went with the goldfinch. Pink carnations are her favorite flower, but they also mean gratitude, which is something that Kyrie holds close to her heart. She has been through many trials and traumas in her life, so a lot of what helps her push on is being grateful to still be alive, and being grateful to still have Nero. The butterfly symbolizes freedom from The Order of the Sword, both physically and mentally. It had been a part of her life for her entire life, but it took her family from her and caused devastation to her beloved hometown. When she felt she had finally moved past all of the trauma that was caused by them, she got the tattoo to always remind herself that she was free from it all.

Also on Ao3 :)

[thiswasinevitableid]

Pleasant Surprise (Indruck Superhero AU)

A little fic I’ve had bouncing around my head for awhile, set in the universe of “The Thrilling Adventures of the Green Knight.”  It takes place after that story, and after the events of the small fics “Aww, Rats” and “Back in Time”. You can read it as a standalone, but it does contain some spoilers for main fic.

“You know how you always say communication is important in a relationship?” Indrid drums his fingers on the arm of the couch. 

Dr. Mwangi nods, the chain on her glasses glinting in the soothing lights of her office.

“I...there is something I am not sure how to communicate to Duck. I, it’s something I’ve been dishonest about. I” Indrid takes a deep breath, “I lied about the date of my birthday.”

Dr. Mwangi doesn’t so much as cock an eyebrow, much like she managed not to gasp in horror when he told her what his training regime involved when he was learning to be a villain. Indrid’s going theory is that this self-control is his therapist's super power. 

“Do you want to spend part of our session today figuring out how you’d like to talk with him about this?”

Indrid fidgets with his glasses, “Yes, please.”

-------------------------------------------------------------

Duck comes home to one of his favorite scenes; Indrid sitting with his easel in front of the rat run. His boyfriend decided he needed to cultivate his artistic streak, so that one part of his life would not involve superheroing or villainy in any capacity. From the look of it, he’s still on the theme of inserting the rats into still-lifes of different styles. 

Duck loves watching him paint, in a way at once connected to and completely different from the attraction he feels observing the other man train in the hideout or dig himself into engineering a new invention. There’s the same cleverness in his hands, the same concentration lining his face. But there’s an innocence that’s absent other places, a kind of happiness that only exists in activities untouched by his past.

“Hello, chivalrous one.” Indrid murmurs as Duck comes to drape his arms over his sweater clad shoulders.

“Hey sugar. I like the new paintin’--is that Dr. Harris Bonkers?”

“Indeed.” Indrid turns his head, his grin as bright as the streetlights flickering to life outside, “The fuzzy medical practitioner in the style of Seurat. I foresee Aubrey liking it as a Christmas gift, and I wanted to do it while the inspiration was still fresh.”

“Bet she’ll get a kick outta it.” Duck kisses the top of his head, then starts removing his work clothes, “you had dinner? Thought I might reheat some pizza.”

“I ordered us dinner, it should arrive within ten to fifteen minutes, depending on whether this is the broken stoplight timeline.” Indrid sets his brushes aside, stands so he can follow Duck down the hall to the bedroom.

“Thanks for doin’ that.”

“There is, ah, something I wish to discuss before it arrives.”

Duck turns and his heart twinges. Back when Indrid was his nemesis, Duck learned to read his emotions, a skill that eluded everyone else. He can tell when Indrid is nervous and, most often, when Indrid is nervous and doing everything he can to hide it.

“What’s on your mind?” He takes a soft step towards the other man, who goes very still as he summons his next words. 

“Do you remember what I told you about my birthday?”

“That it was in the spring and you’d let me know when we were gettin close to it. Wait, fuck, you never did, not this year or last year. Then again, last year was when the White Star boys kept tryin to fuck everythin up, think a lot of stuff got missed. Do you, uh, wanna do a birthday observed or somethin? Could even get a little goofy and do a half-birthday.”

Indrid shakes his head vehemently, “No. That is not it. I, I ah, I lied. My birthday is not in spring. And before you ask ‘when is it,’ the answer is I have no idea. We never celebrated birthdays. I only know my age because my father unleashed my brother and myself upon the world some time after I, or rather we, turned eighteen.” Indrid tucks his hands into the pockets of his sweater, “that is all I wish to say.”

It would be easy to giggle at his serious tone. 

Duck pulls Indrid into a hug, “Thanks for tellin me. Do you want help tryin to work out when it really is?”

“I...I do not know. I was simply tired of such a small lie weighing me down.”

“Okay. You wanna cuddle until dinner?”

“Of cour--oh damn it all.” Indrid steps back, pulling off his sweater, “Baron Thorne is going to try and hold an entire dormitory of students hostage in forty-five minutes.”

“More than a two hero job?”

Indrid tips his head back, then replies, “it’ll go best with for. I shall alert Barclay and Aubrey.”

“Roger. I’ll get the car.”

---------------------------------------------------------

Duck’s researching potential plants for Dani to modify into non-lethal weapons when the secure elevator dings open and Agent Stern hurries out, looking a kind of excited he hasn’t seen since Barclay’s parents landed their ship to meet their son’s new boyfriend. 

“Gettin the feelin you got good news for me.”

“I do.” Joe pulls out his datapad, “I went through the files we confiscated from Abbadon to find the one on Indrid. It did indeed have his birth date, and you are not going to believe what it is.”

Duck looks at the little boxes of letters and numbers beneath the photo of a much younger Indrid with a much crueler smile. 

“No fuckin way.”

“I know right?” Joe grins, “ I think he’ll get a kick out of that.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“My birthday is on Halloween?”

“Yeah!” Duck looks so happy that for a moment the emotion carries Indrid as well. 

“That is rather fitting. It’s always been my favorite holiday.” He can see it now; little orange lights, a black tablecloth, some cake.

“And it’s three weeks away, so we still got time to plan somethin to mark the day. I was thinkin we could have it Friday, since Halloween is a Saturday and I know at least Barclay and Dani got things they do every Halloween. How’s that sound?”

He isn’t sure. Something circles up from the deep, animal part of his mind, but he can’t name it and so does his best to ignore it. 

“It sounds wonderful.”

--------------------------------------------------------

Indrid cannot escape. Everywhere he turns there are birthdays; on the T.V, in the restaurants he and Duck go to, on cards and balloons when he’s getting groceries 

It’s your big day!

“You don’t turn thirteen everyday”

To my son, on his eighteenth birthday

“To my brother, my favorite partner in crime”

“This week on ‘My Neighbor’s a Werewolf,’ Jamie throws Max a surprise party, and gets a big surprise of his own.” 

When that one flickers across the screen, Indrid clicks the T.V off with a little hiss. He’s tense, feels like the embodiment of the moment a knife-tip meets skin; resistance and resignation in the instant before it all comes pouring out. 

“You got a cake preference?” Duck rests his hand on the couch near Indrid’s shoulder, tone light as he continues, “know you like really sweet stuff, I could get mom’s hummingbird cake recipe from Jane-”

“Whatever you think best.” Indrid flexes and coils his fingers.

“‘Drid, it’s your party, you get to mark the occasion however you want.

“And what if I do not wish to mark it at all?”

“Uh…” Duck clears his throat, “uh, that’s fine too.”

Indrid turns his head to see the expression he knew would be there. 

“That upsets you.”

“N-uh, fuck, I uh, it don’t uh-”

“Duck, please do me the courtesy of not drawing out the lie.”

Ducks shoulders sag, “Guess I’m a little disappointed. I, uh, I was havin fun plannin it with you. Thought I could make up for all the times you didn’t have one.”

“Well, you can’t.” Indrid snaps, stands more dramatically than he means to. He just wants this to be over, wants to stop seeing the memories he thought he’d properly laid to rest, “you cannot make up for what I saw, what was done to me, what I did.”

“I-”

Indrid holds up his hand, “I know you see it as your job to remove all traces of my tragic past that you can.”

“Hold the fuck on.” Duck shakes his head, “Is that what you think I’m doin? ‘Drid, it’s just a party. If you don’t want it you don’t want it, but don’t fuckin pretend this is some indicator of us as a pair.”

“Oh but it is.” Indrid feels his lips curl into an old smile, “you get to play the nice, normal hero making everything better, while all I am is someone to pity, broken long before you ever met me!”

Duck goes still, and in his visions he sees the rats finishing skittering to the far side of Ratopia. It’s at this moment he realizes he’s been yelling. 

“I…I am going to bed. Goodnight.” He hurries down the hall, only bothering to change his pants before crawling under the covers. In most futures, Duck follows him and demands they finish their argument, leading to a far larger fight. But the hero doesn’t come. This gives Indrid time to get his breathing and heart rate back to normal, to try and work out why the thought of his loved ones gathering to celebrate his birth makes him want to disappear into the night. 

He’s not quite asleep when Duck comes in. He’s not quite ready to apologize. As he’s contemplating his options, his boyfriend slips under the sheet and lays in such a way that his right hand is inches from Indrid’s own. 

Without opening his eyes, Indrid slides his fingers across Duck’s palm. Duck shifts to interlink their fingers, and closes his hand. 

Indrid wakes up five hours later in two discrete stages. The first is coming out of the nightmare, of his body registering the need to move, to hide, before his brain is fully back to the present. The second is waking up enough to wonder why he always hides in the closet after these dreams; he didn’t have a closet growing up. 

He creeps into the living room, hoping he hasn’t woken Duck. He has woken Chicken, who decides it’s close enough to her breakfast time to yowl at him until he feeds her. While she crunches her cat food, he opens one of the doors to Ratopia. The mischief is mostly asleep, but at  the sound Void rouses from his spot atop Mallard and scurries over to Indrid’s hands. 

“You forgive so easily.” Indrid murmurs, cupping him in one hand and closing the cage with the other, “or perhaps you just forget with much greater skill than I.”

He knows when Duck is behind him. Without turning, he sets Void on his shoulder and says, “I think I know why I have been so unpleasant tonight. I...I have only ever marked two changes in age; being old enough to face the trials of my order and being sent out to cut down those who dared oppose us. My ‘birthday’ is a harbinger of suffering and death. And I, I know that is not the real truth, but it is the one my body believes, the one my mind has been bracing for without me fully understanding that’s what it is doing. I did not mean to take that fear out on you.”

“‘Drid” Duck’s voice is scratchy with sleep, but when Indrid turns his eyes are alert, “I’m so fuckin sorry. It, uh, it didn’t occur to me that your birthday would be wrapped up so tightly with the shit you went through as a kid. I never meant to push you into somethin you didn’t want.”

“But I do want it!” Indrid shoves his hands into his hair, “I want to have dinner with our friends, to get gifts, to enjoy a thing that millions of people partake in every day. And I am so, so very angry that I cannot, that instead I am dealing with all of this.” He gestures vaguely to himself, then looks at Duck, his body registering safe as the hero joins him by the rat run. When Duck opens his arms, Indrid nestles into them without hesitation. 

“Whatever you decide on, that’s what we’ll do.” 

Indrid hums, snickers when Void clambers onto Duck to tickle his cheek with his whiskers. After the shadows of the past recede in the warmth of Duck’s embrace, Indrid whispers, “I would like to have the party. I would like to help you plan it. But I...I would like a few of the details to still be surprises for me. It might be nice for my birthday to bring me a pleasant one for once.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Oooh, this looks so cool!” Aubrey sets a gift on the table as she admires the mothman string lights, banners, and balloons, “dang, Duck, didn’t know you had a decorator streak.”

“Don’t get a chance to flex it much. And it’s kinda easy when the theme is so specific.”

“I’m trying to compliment you, doofus.” Aubrey playfully whacks his arm, then squeals, “honey, look, rats in hats!”

“Awww” Dani joins her to regard the mischief in their tiny party hats (only Mallard is still wearing his, the others in various states of tossing them about), “Indrid, did you make these?”

“Indeed, though Barclay made these.” He slides the enclosure open and sets five rat-sized cupcakes on the floor, “which is wonderful, because I did not want them to feel left out. They’re getting them earlier than the rest of us because Barclay is looking for ways to keep me out of the kitchen.”

“It’s your birthday, that means letting someone else cook!” Barclay calls from the kitchen.

“But I modified the blender and the mixer to be self-operating!”

“Wait, what?” Is all they hear before Barclay is drowned out by whirring. 

“Should we help him?” Dani says through their laughter.

“He’s a professional, he’ll be fine.” Joseph steps from the kitchen, his casual wear of jeans and a Loch Ness Monster dress shirt still somewhat jarring to the former villain who only ever saw him in suits, “Aubrey, Dani, can I get you anything to drink?”

“Yes please. Okay doctor, time to play.” Aubrey opens the special hatch in Ratopia and deposits the rabbit, who settles in to be groomed by his smaller friends. 

Dinner is fancy macaroni and cheese and fruit salad, Indrid’s favorites. As Ned regales the table with his latest misadventures in fixing up his new van (“I was unaware an owl could nest in a seat cushion”) Indrid glances at the entryway. 

“Everythin okay?” Duck whispers.

“Yes. I, ah, I simply did not expect so many gifts. I know it’s customary to receive them but I thought you got one or two. Not that everyone brought them.”

“You wanna open them?”

Indrid nods, grinning, “very much so.”

He takes care not to peek at the futures when unwrapping them, wanting to preserve the excitement as long as possible. Aubrey gives him a six pound bag of Lucky Charm marshmallows, Dani sneaks out to the car and returns with a potted plant (“I modified it so that the blossoms will be extra attractive to moths”). Ned gifts him a signed, limited run poster from Red Dust on His Soul, Joseph and Barclay a stack of new romance novels (“I think you’ll like Agent X, it’s a mystery series but he romances quite a few characters in them”). Mama sent a package from West Virginia that contains a small, wooden duck she carved herself and made especially smooth so it would be soothing to rub). And Lydia Little, AKA Sylvia Cold, presents him with a mug declaring him “Favorite Brother.” 

Duck’s present is the last one he opens. Waiting for him in the rectangular box is a white shirt with “World’s Greatest Rat Dad” on the front. The back is covered in squiggle-scratches of five different colors, which Duck explains are signatures from the mischief made in rat-safe fabric paint. 

“It’s perfect.”  Indrid sighs, kisses his boyfriend and then beams at his friends, “it is time for cake.”

They dim the lights, sing to him as Barclay emerges from the kitchen with a massive, mothman shaped cake with lots of candles. To his delight and surprise, the inside is layers of pink and yellow, flavored with strawberry and vanilla. He eats far more than is perhaps wise, but it is his birthday and it is his understanding that such things are allowed.

His guests linger for a few hours more, Aubrey and Dani the last to leave with a reminder to put the plant on the balcony. Indrid waves goodbye, closes the door and arms the security to full. He turns back into the house, sees the cards and gifts his friends put so much thought into locating for him, the stray dishes and half-empty glasses that signify they were here. For him. Because they wanted to be, because they care about him.

“‘Drid? You want any more cake before I put it aw--oh fuck, sugar, what’s wrong.”

“Nothing” he sniffles, grins, “these are tears of happiness. I, ah, I hurried us into cake because I felt them upon me when I opened the gifts. It will take some time yet for me to be willing to show such feelings around our friends.” He wipes his eyes, “thank you, my love, for arranging this.”

“Any time, darlin.”

He smiles, “Have I mentioned lately that you are my hero?”

“Pretty sure you called me that this mornin. But I sure as hell don’t mind hearin it again.”

------------------------------------------------------------------

“What is this?” His brother scowls up from the paper plate Indrid passed to him through the complex delivery system keeping his cell from the world around it.

“Cake. Today is our birthday. Did you know that?”

“Who cares for such frivolous things, little brother?”

“Those of us who do not spend our lives steeped in the misery of others, twin brother. If you do not want it, give it back and I shall share it with one of the guards.”

Apollo looks at the cake. Then he kneels on the floor, tearing into it with his hands. He doesn’t eat it what he destroys, and after a moment Indrid grasps why.

“Did you really think I hid some device to help you escape in there?”

“Yes.” His brother is now trying to light stab the cake with his gaze. 

Indrid rubs his forehead, “Perhaps some day you will learn to see things for how they are, not how you believe them to be.” He starts for the door, looks over his shoulder and says softly, “happy birthday, Apollo.”

A slam as his brother strikes the see-through front of his cell, “Get back here this instant you worthless, traitorous, coward!”

The door slides open and Indrid steps into the hall. Joseph is waiting for him, drops his eyes from the security feed to the man in front of him, “what a waste of Barclay’s cooking.”

“Agreed.”

A gentle pat on his shoulder, “You tried, that counts for a lot. Now go enjoy your night.”

“And my knight?”

“Him too.” Joseph waves goodbye, then adds, “and happy birthday!”

Indrid gets home before the city trick or treating hours begin; he’s feeling rather good, all things considered, and Halloween is so beloved by villains that the odds of his evening being interrupted by work are almost none. 

Duck is on the porch lighting their Jack ‘O Lanterns, grinning brighter than all the candles and lights on the block combined when Indrid walks up the steps to join him. He sees in the futures that he’s made him a special, Halloween themed birthday dinner. 

He pulls Duck into a hug, kissing the top of his head with happy sighs, thanking whatever twist of fate pushed him into the arms of the man who was, in many ways, his first-ever pleasant surprise.

[inthecityofgoodabode]

Memorial Day

We have had this lily for years and it has never bloomed. We finally found a spot where it is happy:  

Mason Wasp. They are a two-for-one - pollinator and predator: 

Tidying up after feeding: 

Full time pest but also part time pollinator: 

I dig these tiny bees but they can be tricky to photo: 

I like the way this variety of echinacea draws its petals down: 

Pulling spent blossoms off our petunia. It tidies up the appearance of the plant but it also seems to stimulate blossom production: 

Another echinacea. This one is in a pot on our back patio: 

Calla lily: 

Plantago rugelii (American Plantain). The reddish-purple on the stem differentiates it from Plantago major (Broadleaf Plantain). Rugelii is native but Major isn’t:  

Spent chive blossom revealing tiny black seeds. Not telling where chives will come up next year: 

Bee in flight: 

Asian lady beetle: 

Asian Lady Beetles have a lot of color variation as compared with proper ladybugs. This one is almost completely red: 

Asian Lady Beetle having a sup of sugar water from our hummingbird feeder. I think I’ve posted it before and the recipe is all over the Internet but the recipe is 4 parts water to 1 part pure cane sugar: 

The Carpenter Bees love our Texas Sage: 

Our tomatoes are coming along. The front 3 pots are determinants and the back 3 are indeterminants. Those lighter green plants in the pots with them are volunteer tomatoes from our compost: 

Close up of tomato blossoms complete with a filthy aphid. Aphids can’t normally do enough damage to a plant to harm it but they are disease vectors which is where their real harmfulness is: 

Unknown variety (at least to me) of hoverfly coming in for a landing on our green onion: 

Landing successful: 

Update on the compost bin mystery plant. Definitely not a squash. My money is on a pumpkin: 

Astilbe blossoms: 

Look what I found growing in the compost bin: 

Black Soldier Fly in the compost bin. Hopefully, a female laying eggs: 

Slug and pillbug buddy:

Tiny bee: 

Butterfly bush: 

This stand of Monarda is bursting out. The ruby-throated hummingbirds were visiting it at dusk today but light conditions were too poor to get a decent photo of them: 

The lemon balm is blooming: 

First pole bean to break ground in the backyard garden for 2020: 

Female ruby-throated hummingbird in silhouette at dusk: 

[rabbitcruiser]

World Bee Day 

In 2014, the Slovenian Beekeepers' Association came up with the idea for World Bee Day. A resolution for the day was proposed to the United Nations by Mag. Dejan Židan, Project Manager of the World Bee Day Project and Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia. On December 20, 2017, the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution. All UN countries adopted it unanimously, and 115 countries signed on as co-sponsors. The day was designated "to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development." Put another way, according to the UN, the day's objectives are to bring to the attention of those in power that protecting bees is important, to remind us that we rely on bees and other pollinators, to protect bees and other pollinators in order to help solve problems related to the global food supply and the elimination of hunger and to stop the further loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems.

Slovenia has more beekeepers per capita than any other country, with about one out of every 200 citizens there being a beekeeper. The country suggested that World Bee Day take place in May because bees in the Northern Hemisphere are most active at this time and start reproducing then. It is also at this time that pollination is most needed in the hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is a time when bee products are harvested. Besides honey, these products include the likes of pollen, royal jelly, beeswax, and propolis. The 20th of the month was chosen as the date of the observation because it is the birthday of Anton Janša (1734-1773). A pioneer of modern beekeeping techniques, Janša worked in Slovenia and was one of the most important experts of the eighteenth century in his field. He was the first to teach the modern techniques, doing so at the Beekeeping School in Vienna.

Bees are one of the main pollinators, along with butterflies, wasps, moths, flies, and beetles. Animals such as bats and hummingbirds are pollinators as well. Having a diversity of pollinators is a good thing, but many pollinators and bee colonies are under threat, often on account of humans. Bee colonies are threatened by pesticides, invasive species, change of land use, monocropping, intensive agriculture, waste pollution, shrinking habitat, and climate change. Bee and other pollinators are currently declining, and bees have faced mass extinction in the United States and Europe. Being that pollinators are necessary, this is dangerous. Pollinators help plants reproduce, with flowering plants not being able to produce unless pollinators transport pollen from the anthers to the stigmas on the flowers. Pollinators also help improve the quality and diversity of plants. These may be food crops, such as vegetables, fruits, coffee, chocolate, nuts, and seeds. These may be other plants as well, and the work of pollinators also contributes to ensuring there will be fibers like linen and cotton, biofuels, medicines, and construction materials.

Having a prevalence of bees and other pollinators helps ensure that nutrition won't suffer and that there will be food security, as about a third of the food in the world relies on pollination in order for it to be made. Bees also help ensure that farmers will have financial security. Additionally, bees and other pollinators help conserve biodiversity and help signal if an ecosystem is healthy.

By one count, there are 16,000 species of bees, but by another, there may be 25,000 or 30,000. Located on every continent but Antarctica, some of the more common bees are honey bees, bumblebees, and stingless bees. The most common in North America is the Halictidae, or sweat bee. Bees feed on nectar and pollen, and many live in colonies. Apiculture is the technical word for beekeeping, a practice that dates to Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt. Honey bee colonies are kept in hives, and honey, pollen, royal jelly, beeswax, and propolis are harvested from them. Sometimes bees are also kept for pollinating crops and to sell to other beekeepers.

How to Observe

The following are some ideas on how to observe the day:

Check for events taking place.

Plant some bee-friendly plants and flowers in gardens, balconies, terraces, or meadows. You could also plant a whole bee garden.

Build a bee hotel.

Reduce or change your usage of pesticides.

Purchase honey from a local beekeeper.

Become a beekeeper.

Learn about different types of bees.

Pick up a copy of a book about bees such as The Beekeeper's Bible: Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses.

Those whose job it is to implement policy can focus on the conservation and enhancement of habitats for pollinators; can make sure that safer pesticides are being used for pollinators; can make sure policies support indigenous, rural, and local communities; and can implement policies that raise public awareness and knowledge sharing.

School children could visit beekeepers and learn about honey and the plants it is made from.

Source

[mothernaturenetwork]

A homemade hummingbird nectar recipe guaranteed to please

You've probably seen plenty of videos and photos on the internet of people feeding hummingbirds by hand. While you may be tempted to try it yourself, here's why you shouldn't.

Sheri Williamson, author of "A Field Guide to Hummingbirds of North America," spoke with The New York Times and warns that hand-feeding hummingbirds can make them more vulnerable to other humans who may shoo them away and injure them.

Also if hummingbirds come to see humans as their food source, they may ignore flowers nearby. For example, nonmigratory hummingbirds in the tropics don't pollinate flowers well in areas with year-round feeders.

[terrijournal]

Hummingbird nectar ratio

Honey solutions than those made from granulated sugar. Hummingbirds can't digest it as efficiently. The sugar in flower nectar is primarily sucrose, like that of white sugar.ĭon't use honey in your feeder, which is primarily composed of fructose & So when making your hummingbird food recipe solution, don't go weaker than the 1:4 ratio of The rate of energy assimilation may be constrained by excess water Nectar to get the same energy from a concentrated one, their bodies will have to In addition, because hummingbirds will have to consume more of a dilute Just stop coming to your feeder to find a better, concentrated source. Weaker concentrations are less attractive to hummers & you'll find they may On sugar concentration, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds ( Selasphorus platycercus)Ĭonsumed volumes of nectar ranging from 1.6 to 5.4 times their body mass per Lower Concentrations of Hummingbird Nectar RecipeĬonsumption of nectar is needed to satisfy a hummingbird's energy requirements. Higher nectar concentrations (up to 1:1) can be made, especially during coldīut if you are feeding during the warmer months, just go back to the 4:1 Will just give them an extra boost of calories. Janet Asked: I messed up and did three water and one sugar, is thatĪnswer: No, it will not harm them. Mixed with one part sugar and two parts water (1:2 ratio)." Sugar concentrations more gradual, the "average" 35-calorie concentration can be If you wish to make the change from high to low It will seem like there are many more hummingbirds visiting your feedersīecause each bird will feed 10 to 12 times an hour in comparison to two or three This 10-calorie solution is similar to lower sugarĬoncentrations in nectar produced by some plants. To promote high rates of feeding activity, mix one part sugar with four parts Two or three weeks, a lower concentration will increase their feeding activity Once hummingbirds have been attracted with a rich sugar solution for Migration, and to fuel the territorial exploits of males and nesting activities This high concentration is important to replenish energy reserves during A 60 calorie solution can be mixed for this purpose with equal volumes Physiology for several decades, states: "A hummingbird is more likely to stay atĪ feeder when it first arrives if the feeder contains a relatively rich sugar This is most likelyĭue to the fact that a concentrated sugar solution for your nectar will fermentįaster and grow fungus and/or bacteria in your feeders and need to be cleanedĪlso, Dr. Their tongue from these higher sugar nectar concentrations. It also has been stated that hummingbirds will get a fungal infection on (2000) found that Rufous Hummingbirds ( Selasphorus rufus) preferred a sugar concentration of 50% when Higher Concentrations: Can you makeĪre higher concentrations of a hummingbird food recipe harmful?ĭespite statements that high sugar concentrations can cause liver and kidney damage to hummingbirds, no research has shown that higher concentrations Long story short, you can't go wrong with theġ:4 ratio because the concentration is close to the natural sugarĬoncentration of hummingbird-pollinated flowers (20%). In their study) would measure our 1:4 feeder solution as being 18.6% (which McDade and Weeks used to measure sugar content of flower nectar Simply divide to get your percentage by volume alone. Water molecules have different atomic weights, which means you can't We say approximate because in reality sugar and This sugar concentration is what is naturally found in flower Produces a solution with an approximate sugar concentration of 20% (1/5 (i.e., 1 cup sugar dissolved in 4 cups water = ~5 cups/~37 oz of nectar) Using the normally accepted hummingbird feeder solution ratio of 1:4 The sugar in flower nectar is primarily sucrose, Into energy, supplying a hummingbird'scarbohydrate requirements. Of sugars with trace amounts of amino acids and electrolytes.įlower nectar is digested and quickly converted Hummingbirds are specialized nectarivores that feed on dilute solutions Below we discuss in detail about the natural flower nectar that hummingbirds feed on and how it compares to homemade hummingbird food.

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Humming Along

“Like the hummingbird sipping nectar from every flower, I fly joyfully through my days, seeing beauty in everything.”– Amethyst Wyldfyre

 After tucking a hibiscus plucked from my mother’s garden behind my ear, I was immediately the object of desire for a hungry hummer. The iridescent red crown identified the hovering nectar hunter as a male Anna’s hummingbird. The females and young have green crowns. What a photo op, but alas, no camera or iPhone in sight. 

Of the known 331 species of hummingbirds, 27 types are found in the United States, and 14 reside in California. Hummers only live in North and South America. When most people think of pollinators, bees, butterflies, bats, beetles, birds, and moths may come to mind. Yet, hummingbirds are some of the greatest pollinators as they can visit one to three thousand flowers in a single day. As they whiz from flower to flower, pollen from the stamen sticks to their long bills and forehead as they feed. They prefer plants with tubular-shaped flowers and many plants have evolved (some with the help of human intervention) to be more attractive to hummingbirds with brighter colors, higher nectar counts, and daylight blooms. Because they have long, slim bills, hummingbirds can feed deep into chambers and cannulas that bees or other pollinators cannot reach. They also eat tiny insects and spiders that are detrimental to flower beds and vegetable gardens. 

Native and navitar plants that are red, blue, orange, yellow, and purple are favorites. What is the difference between native and navitar plants? 

Native: • highly adapted to the climate and soil they are naturally growing in  • requires less babying (within their particular climate) than non-natives  • promotes biodiversity throughout your garden  • naturally resistant to local pests  • attract beneficial pollinators 

 Navitar: • combination of the words ‘native’ and ‘cultivar’ (result of careful selection and crossbreeding by humans)  • wider variety of flower colors, shapes & forms  • incorporate different sizes of plant  • heightened insect or disease resistance  • select preferred hardiness   • main concern for - and argument against - is their lack of genetic diversity 

 Plants Attractive to Hummingbirds

Petunia

Calibrachoa

Catmint

Sage

Salvia

Penstemon (beardtongue)

Bee balm

Daylily

Fuchsia

Cardinal flower

Blazing star

Garden phlox

Lobelia

Weigela

Oregon grape

Azalea

Currant

Flowering quince

Trumpet vine

Trumpet honeysuckle

Bleeding Heart

Butterfly bush

Cardinal Flower

Columbine

Rose of Sharon

Hibiscus

Lupin

Purple Rhododendron

Zinnia

Lantana

Red hot poker (torch lily)

Echinacea

Delphinium

Crocosmia

Hollyhocks

Pink Bower Vine

 Hummingbirds remain in landscapes that provide all the supplies they need to survive and thrive. Besides planting species that will feed them, there are other things you can do to encourage hummingbirds to hang around.

Bathing Fountain: Due to the sticky nature of the nectar, hummingbirds need to bathe frequently. They prefer running water in a shallow area. Bubbling fountains or misters are an important investment in their healthcare. They even will frequent sprinklers!

Nests: Hummingbirds do not nest in birdhouses. They build tiny, usually around 1 inch in diameter, nests camouflaged with lichen, moss, and spider webs. This makes them hard to discover. They can be 3-60 feet from the ground and sometimes as much as ½ mile from their favorite food sources. 

Feeders: Place feeders in areas where you’ll be able to watch the frenzy. It’s best to have multiple feeders to reduce territoriality. Hang them high enough to be safe from cats or predators which include snakes, squirrels, and larger birds. Recommended height is at least 4 feet from the ground. 

Recipe for homemade nectar:

*Boil 4 quarts of water and let it cool. Tap water is fine. Do not use distilled water.

*Dissolve 1 cup cane or beet sugar in the cooled water. Do not use any other type of sugar, artificial sweetener, or honey. 

*Fill feeder ¾ full or however much is used within a few days.

*Store unused remainder in a closed container in the refrigerator for a week.

Maintenance of feeders: It is important to change the mixture every 4-5 days. If the weather exceeds 90 degrees, the nectar will ferment. Change it more often if it gets cloudy. Clean feeders between refilling without topping off. Many feeders can be safely sanitized in the dishwasher. Otherwise, use mild detergent, wash, and rinse thoroughly. Monthly sterilize the feeders in a solution of bleach and water. 

Other Tips: To entertain all pollinators, maintain an organic landscape free of pesticides, insecticides, and chemical fertilizers. Your garden is their dinner table, and their daily dining provide the ingredients for your dinner table. 

 My garden is buzzing with every type of pollinator. As I sit in my office writing this article, a beautiful, black-chinned hummingbird with its shimmering purple and white collar was busy outside my window investigating my roses. Again, I couldn’t get an appropriate photo through the window screen and shutter, but the visit was enchanting. 

 See the beauty in everything and thrill to the metallic humming of the wings of these living hovercrafts. Fly joyfully through your day!

 Happy Gardening. Happy Growing.

Photos and more: https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1610/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Humming-along.html

Press Pass:https://blog.voiceamerica.com/2022/07/08/hummingbirds-are-pollinators/

 Cynthia Brian, The Goddess Gardener, is available for hire to help you prepare for your spring garden. Raised in the vineyards of Napa County, Cynthia is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3. Tune into Cynthia’s StarStyle® Radio Broadcast at www.StarStyleRadio.com.

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