hummingbirds

Nature’s Canvas: Art Is In The Details

March 19, 2013 by Lonnie Lardner

(Pic #1) Closeup of baby hummingbird eye. — nature’s perfect patterns. (Photo by Josh Kaplan)

Traditional whip stich used in leather-making and Native American arts.

We’ve had the sweet privilege of playing host to a family of hummingbirds hatching in the branches of our bougainvillea at our front door this week. The eye of one of the babies is pictured above. He or she has only been alive for 11 days. Yet the beauty in this (enlarged) half-inch square of a 2-gram creature has me spinning.

If you look closely, you see what appears to be a delicate whip stitch or traditional “Indian blanket stitch” around her tiny left eye. It almost seems artisanal — lovingly crafted and carefully spaced. It appears to be more creative, skilled handiwork, xanax rather than some predetermined DNA design. In any case, I find it to be quite masterful.

El Castillo cave painting in Cantabria, Spain – dating back 40,000 years.

What strikes me about this is — for thousands of years, man has expressed his innate need to create art (from European cave paintings and ancient Egyptian sculpture — to the post-war abstract expressionists) — and often with some struggle and considerable angst. But great art can be found everywhere — with no struggle, no angst. It’s as simple as stepping outside, getting up close, and really looking. Nature makes sure we never lack inspiration.

Seeing our little baby bird’s face up close made me grateful, humbled, and awestruck — by the brilliance of an artist I’d really like to get to know better.

The Art of Letting Go

March 30, 2012 by Lonnie Lardner

It is with heavy heart that I share the news that the delicate nest lovingly built by our rufous hummingbird mother (photographed in the previous post) fell victim to a fairly wild winter storm 4 days ago. Nothing remains of her artful home after a two-week vigil over her tiny eggs.

I know it’s nature. I understand that it’s the cycle of life. But it still hurts to watch her work so devotedly, so tirelessly, with no return on her investment. Still, the pure joy she brought me – and our home – seems immeasurable. Just by being there every day (only flying out occasionally to nourish her petite 3-inch frame) gave us a daily sense of wonder and appreciation. I must have checked on her and the nest 15 times a day, valium through the little peephole in our front door. She was the first task in the morning, and my last stop at night.

Then, when I opened the door to find her home ravaged by the wind, I felt as though I had been hit in the gut. It has taken a few days to emerge from my funk, but I take comfort in knowing some hummingbirds live anywhere from 3 – 10 years. So there’s always a chance she’ll be back.

In her honor, I post this inspiring nature video of another (successful) hummingbird nest with two siblings coming to life — and taking flight for the first time. I could take a cue from their mother — and learn how to gracefully let go.

The Art Of The Nest

March 22, 2012 by Lonnie Lardner

Nature's tiniest artist: Mother hummer prepares her nest with "found objects." Photo by Josh Kaplan.

Hummingbird Mom builds a functional home — and a stunning work of art.

She’s sitting in her flawlessly-crafted nest this very moment. Mother hummer has chosen the bougainvillea vine on our front patio as her maternity ward. We’ve decided to enter our house through the back door now because we don’t want to disturb her. After all, the gestation period for hummingbird babies is just 18 days. Last year she flew in (most likely from Mexico) to lay and incubate her two pea-sized eggs — but she unexpectedly left — without seeing her young break through. She’s back, and we want to make her stay as comfortable as possible.

The factoids on these magnificent creatures (listed below) may be sobering, impressive, and just hard to believe — but to me, the real story is the art and architecture emerging out of a bird that weighs less than a penny. I cannot stop examining the structure and beauty of this inch-and-a-half wide thriving little cup of nature. Our spotted “rufous” hummingbird has gathered the most delicate of leaves, dainty flower petals, and flexible twigs. She has camouflaged them with bits of lichen, and spun and glued the “found objects” together with borrowed spider webs. She has created one of the most intricate, and interesting functional collages I’ve ever seen. (Except maybe those of artist Elliot Hundley, Pic #2.)

Much like the work of contemporary “fiber artists” (Pic #3) Mother has sculpted a sort of free-form design with her organic materials, with the added benefit of a solid foundation on which she can raise her family.

Ten days to go. I’m a wreck.

(Pic #2) Assemblage of accumulated bits of lo-fi media, i.e., string, paper, photos and beading. By artist Elliot Hundley.

Pic #3 (Left): "Moth study" by fiber artist Erin Riche. (Right): Detail of crochet art by Margaret Hubert.

Just the Facts:

A hummingbird’s heart beats up to 1,260 times per minute.
While diving, her wings will beat up to 200 times per second.
She will take about 250 breaths per minute –while at rest.
They are the only birds who can fly forward and backward.
Some hummingbirds will travel over 2000 miles twice a year.
To extract nectar, she will visit an average of 1,000 flowers per day.
When hummingbirds sleep at night, they go into a hibernation-like state called torpor.
A hummingbird’s favorite color is red.