The Tiniest Tongue

I was going to go with a monarch today since I had six of them eclose (all released by 2 pm) but I really like this shot of a young male hummingbird as he hovered near a feeder, just the tiniest tip of his tongue flicking out.  Deep shadows in the woods behind our house gives this a black background which lends an air of drama to the shot, I think.  As best as I could tell, there were only 4 hummers in the garden today.  Time is running down...

The news from the Monarch Nursery was excellent with six beautiful butterflies entering the world today - 5 females and one male.  And not that I'm making any sort of reference...but the male was the very last to want to fly.  Just sayin'.  The girls were out and up and the little dude was just hanging out.  The first butterfly to eclose this morning was from a chrysalis that I had concerns about - it had started looking peculiar a day ago and I was fearing that some sort of bacteria had gotten to the caterpillar before it pupated, so what a nice surprise to come down this morning and see her hanging in the enclosure, carefully guarded by our two cats (the furry kind).  Phoebe and Charlie were utterly fascinated and I moved the enclosure outside lest fascination turn into something a bit more ...active.  I posted a series of three shots of #56 eclosing, starting HERE on Flickr - kind of cool if you haven't seen it before.

I also posted one other hummie shot HERE - my second choice for a blip and a rare (for me) flower shot with a bit of editing to lend to the drama, HERE.  

Talked to Mom and Dad this morning - Mom's doing great and has been following doctor's orders to ice the area for 10 minutes every hour (except while sleeping).  She says the swelling and bruising is minimal and she's feeling just fine.  Thanks for all the kinds words and well wishes for her!

Lastly, just a reminder that Tiny Tuesday is just around the corner - remember to tag your entries with TT69 so I can find you all! I'm only hosting for two more weeks, so make me proud, okay?

That's a wrap, folks...
Debbi, signing off from the Lane