Hummingbirds

One of the missions statements of the greenhouse is to attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. I set out the hummingbird feeders around May 1, but then we left for a week so I didn't have the opportunity to see the little birds until today. Two Calliopes, one a male with the distinctive streaked throat, were buzzing around. The longest lens I had with me was the 100mm macro, so these images are severe crops. I usually try to shoot hummingbirds with a 400mm lens, or with the big 500mm if circumstances allow.

One of the hummingbirds made its way inside the greenhouse where there are the flowering tunias and geraniums. It seemed trapped for a while since all the windows were closed, but eventually found the open door. There also are bees buzzing around inside, so hopefully they pollinate the strawberries when the time comes. I really don't want to hand pollinate.

My real mission for the day was to water everything. I liked using the small mesh table so much last time (great drainage) that I brought it with me from home to do the succulents, and like last time I took family portraits. This first group is a good collection of terra cotta pots, including all of the 4-inch pots (middle). The big Echeverias 'Red Sky,' 'Lola' and 'Topsy Turvy' dominate the skyline.

The next group has all of my more unusual pots, and also has all of the Crassulas and Haworthias that were present. There still are some at home. The big plants in this image are the larger Jade and the Thankgiving Cactus. As mentioned previously, 'Neon Breakers' at middle-left has developed a stalk, but it looks a bit wilted today. Perhaps tomorrow I'll be able to tell whether it is quickly fading like the 'Lola' and one of the Purpusorum stalks, or whether the watering will revive it.

This image has all 15 of the current Sempervivums. The news today is 'Budai Mountains' at left is showing signs of life and is producing new offsets. The Chick Charms are nice, but I'm just as fascinated seeing the no-names come to life after a tough winter, namely the three in the middle. That Heuffelii right in the middle is getting tall, which isn't what most Sempervivums do.

This final group has the two Delospermas and two of the hardy sedums. The snake pit in the front is Crassula 'Coastal Coral' which didn't make the Crassule image because I didn't water it, but I decided I need to get it into one of the images.

There are 64 succulents in these images. The three big bowls probably will not live at the greenhouse so they weren't there for the photos. There also are another 15 or so pots that are doing rehab under the garage grow lights or I just haven't decided what to do with them. The two recent 'Blue Rose' acquisitions may be ready to make an appearance soon, but 'Atlantis' needs to grow out of some bad leaf damage. I don't know what the point of ordering a larger plant is if it shows up looking like it was tumbled in the dryer. Speaking of larger plants, the replacement 'Rainbow' seems to be going down the same path as the previous one, failing to thrive and apparently doomed. One problem with variegated varieties, I have read, is they can be sensitive because they don't have as much chlorophyll to produce energy. If this one buys the farm, I'm giving up on 'Rainbow.'

I also watered everything else after skipping yesterday. Until it warms up, every two or three days probably is enough for the strawberries and maybe even the tunias. I use my moisture meters to gauge it.