Reverse!

Hummingbirds have the ability to fly backwards as easily as forwards and can pivot in a fraction of a second.  And today's cameras with their ability to shoot 20 or more frames per second are able to capture action like this handily.  So this morning, I spent some time in the garden trying to capture the non-stop action.  It kept my mind busy and Jax enjoyed pottering around while I took more photos than I should.  Didn't have to do much in the way of edits although I did crop this and lighten it just a bit.  The hummer in this shot is a female who is fattening up now after raising her brood.  She will leave next month headed to Mexico for the winter.  Hard to imagine a creature this small making a trip that big.

I have two containers of monarch caterpillars on the deck, all collected from my garden.  And there are still some eating away in my remaining patches of milkweed.  I am guessing I have around 20 or so that I will release later this month.  And there will probably be a few more too.  

My big toe is very sore today and hard to walk on - a fairly normal after effect of cortisone shots, called a flare.  I checked with the rheumatologists office today who assured me it is normal and should pass in a day or two.  And since it has been fairly rainy today, I've been happy to mostly stay inside.  

xo
Debbi