Male Ruby Throat Hummingbird

The heat of high summer is upon us, and the butterflies and hummingbirds are loving it. My butterfly garden is in full bloom, and it is visited hundreds of times per day by tiny, winged visitors of all kinds.

This summer, I've been seeing a female hummingbird (perhaps the famous Lady Greensleeves!) and at least one ruby throat male. You can tell this one is a male by the dark gorget at the neck. It sometimes looks almost black, as in this shot, but when you catch it at a different angle, it looks bright, shiny red. (Thus the name ruby throat.)

The little birds flit from bloom to bloom, tasting each flower. In their swooping and diving, it sometimes almost seems as though they are dancing! So the song to accompany this summer scene of red and green is Billy Idol's Dancing With Myself.