Peaking and Poking Under the Petals

     As every minute passed, the sun dipped lower towards the horizon, and my photo ops also passed. But just before my time ran out, a young Ruby fumbled around in the Zinnias. I continuously adjusted the camera according to the diminished light and managed a few final captures. 
     Young hummingbirds always find Zinnias a pretty good source of food, and also like to perch on the petals of the flower. It's kind of like they're sitting on their dinner plate while they eat. Those large colorful pom-poms bloom in the most brilliant colors, and even though they don't drip with nectar, young hummingbirds manage to dig around in those pollen filled buttons, and peak and poke under the layers of petals to find something of interest. 
    Zinnias are a 3 out of 5 rated flower for hummingbirds(which is quite good), but dependent on the bird, some would probably rate them even higher. Because of their height, flower size and food content, I would never plant a hummingbird garden without them. Young hummingbirds are especially attracted to them. If you're able to purchase Zinnias, they'll be worth your while, and if you have 1 or 2 green thumbs, plant a bunch of them. You won't regret it.
     Juvenile Male Ruby-throat hummingbird. N.E. of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. August 2017.

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