I believe it’s a female Black-chinned Hummingbird but I can’t be sure of the species.
This past summer I was never able to photograph hummingbirds feeding on the nectar-filled blossoms of Rocky Mountain Bee Plant (Cleome). So last night I took a walk through memory lane and found this older photo I’ve never posted before. It was taken on Antelope Island on August 30, 2013, which was one of the first times I’d ever photographed hummingbirds feeding on wild bee plant.
1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Normally I’m not much of a fan of the color pink but I like it here even though there’s a lot of it. I had just enough shutter speed to get her whirring wings sharp and as a bonus the entire flower cluster she’s feeding on is also sharp or sharp enough – at f/5.6 I was fortunate (lucky) to have that happen.
As a biologist and teacher I also appreciate the photo for its illustration of the results of evolution. The long stamens with their greenish pollen-laden anthers on top are ideally shaped and situated to transfer sticky pollen to the feeding hummingbird who will then transfer some of the pollen to other bee plant flowers resulting in pollination. If you look carefully you can see clumps of pollen on the hummer’s bill. And the very long bill of hummingbirds has evolved to reach nectar deep in the flower.
A classic example of coevelution which is when two or more species reciprocally affect each other’s evolution through the process of natural selection.
Ron
PS – The English language drives me to distraction at times. Why is pollen spelled with an ‘e’ but in the word pollination the ‘e’ becomes an ‘i’?
A rhetorical question I suppose, there’s probably no rhyme or reason for it. It just is.
‘PS – The English language drives me to distraction at times. Why is pollen spelled with an ‘e’ but in the word pollination the ‘e’ becomes an ‘i’? … A rhetorical question I suppose, there’s probably no rhyme or reason for it. It just is.’
No, Ron. In Latin, the noun “pollen” is the subject of a sentence, but other forms, in the case of “of pollen”, “towards pollen”, etc., may change the “e” to “i”, the basis for the transitive verb “to pollinate”.
I graduated from HS in 1961 after 4 years of Latin, public school at that. I’ve forgotten a lot, but the basic structure of the language underpins a lot of English and my own understanding of the language. Latin is complex but also ordered in a way that should appeal to taxonomically-inclined scientists and grammar nerds like myself. (Smile)
Fantastic shot Ron!
Thanks, Charlotte.
Thank you for the eye candy AND the brain candy this morning, Ron. Every once in a while, I’ll look at something I’ve seen a thousand times and become utterly enthralled in appreciating the science behind its existence. It can be as simple as appreciating the physics of a chair or as esoteric as contemplating the insignificance of my place in the known universe.
That same thing happens to me, Marty. Something else we have in common and we have quite a few of them.
Me, too…often
STUNNING……
Thanks, Patty.
Another early morning when I am again grateful for the ‘good ship’ and those aboard. Thanks Ron.
Love the hummer and wish that more people were aware of the interconnectivity of the natural world.
Thank you, EC.
Thanks for taking us down memory lane. A beautiful stroll it was. All kinds of things to like about this photo but the yellow/gold play of the anthers and hummer are very cool.
BTW, I looked to see if it grows in Washington. It does east of the Cascades. Name is Peritoma serrulatus in the flora here. Trivial, but as a biologist, I thought you’d like to know.
Thanks, Lyle. I remember looking that up but promptly forgot the scientific name… 🙂
Beautiful shot.
Thank you, Jean.
I have to say one of the reasons I was initially captivated by your photography was I think either 2013 or later, but when I saw your pictures of hummers working your Rocky Mountain Bee Plant. I even looked into if I could grow that plant here in Vermont. Obviously I haven’t done so. Love your pictures showing hummers working that plant.
No luck recently with hummers and this plant?
Nope, no luck Dick. Couldn’t find very much bee plant and what I did find never had hummers on it.
Cleome…try it…self-seeds👍🍀🤞
The English language…
“”The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.”
–James D. Nicoll”
And hummingbirds are just little buzzes of joy! We made a solar fountain for them (and the other birds) out of a 5-gallon bucket. Found out how on YouTube. 😀 It was so much fun we are going to make more for next spring and summer.
Arwen – hilarious (and true) quote! Thx for sharing 🙂
😀 It’s one of my favorites. I have several English teachers in my family (my grandmother would “red pen” letters from her grandchildren then send them back. If you did well, there was a five-dollar bill in the envelope. 😀
Great quote, Arwen!
I hadn’t read this comment — I think I love your grandmother! 🙂 I would red-pen the notes I confiscated and then give the corrected notes back to the students. For some reason, that became an effective deterrent to note passing in class. 🧐
Oh my! That’s fabulous!
Love that quote Arwen.
You hit the ball out of the park, quote-wise, Arwen! Truer words have rarely been spoken! 😂
Lovely! We have many humming birds here but they are usually in drab vegetation.
Thank you, Pat.
Hummingbirds are my favorite! Have a fountain outside my kitchen window that has the perfect size ledge for hummingbirds to bathe. Endless entertainment for me, especially when they fight over territory and dive bomb each other on the fountain. Your photo is gorgeous and is an excellent example of the master bird photographer you are Ron. Thank you for sharing.
FYI – After studying other languages, have been a fan of phonetic spelling for the Engligh language. Won’t happen in my lifetime … but can hope 🙂
Doesn’t sound like you’re holding your breath for phonetic spelling of English, Kathleen. Good thing too…
Phonetic spelling would still have minefields for the unwary. Differing accents would ensure that the same word was spelt differently by differing English speaking countries and probably counties…
The photo is just lovely ! I’ve studied three other languages, and in the midst of each
I’ve admired how comparatively predictable they are in structure, and also by the thought of how AWFUL it would be to have to
learn English as a second language…….I salute ESL teachers !
“I salute ESL teachers”
As do I, Kris. And their students.
Excellent photo Ron and love the hummer in the pink. Wish I had paid attention in 9th and 10th grade biology. When I read Bill Bryson’s book The Mother Tongue he mentioned that there are groups of scholars working to simplify the English language. I always feel for those who come here from another country and have to learn it as a second language.
Everett, I have very little familiarity with other languages but I’ve often wondered if they have as many illogical word spellings as English does.
Beautiful bird/flower/biology lesson……😀 We didn’t have any hummers this year tho that’s not unusual. The Bee Balm (Monarda) and honeysuckle they prefer were taking out by the “darlin” white tailed deer tho if they do show up I put out a feeder……😉 It is amazing how it all works together…
American “English” is a mess both pronunciation/spelling/meaning wise.😳
Hope to fly with brother Mike this morning and try my hand at aerial photography……😀
I’ll be watching for your aerial photos on FB, Judy – just in case. Have fun up there!
What a lovely photo! The hummer is beyond ‘sweet’ and the pink just accentuates that. Being able to see the stamens so clearly is great. I haven’t planted this flower as an annual in my gardens for years…this is a reminder to me of what I have missed and I put it on the list for next year. It has been a sad week without seeing the hummingbirds each morning as I have my coffee but yesterday I was rewarded by the first of the pine siskins and the slate colored juncos feeding madly…always a good thing to have those little ones around.
Kathy, this year I planted a domesticated variety of Cleome in my garden but for some reason it didn’t do very well.
Simply Beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Elmer.