We’ve had a couple of new visitors to the backyard lately, including the following:

• A Ruby-Throated Hummingbird!  He was hovering around my firecracker plant.  Rich saw him and I didn’t.  Not fair!
• Barn Swallows.  They swoop in and out of the yard in the evenings.  I wish I could get a picture.  Their feathers are gorgeous when the sun hits them.
• A Downy Woodpecker.  We’ve yet to see this guy, but we hear him often.  Woodpeckers aren’t that common in our neighborhood, as we don’t have many older trees.

With the cloudy/windy weather forecast, I slept in this morning and then worked in the backyard some.  I went to Biosphere Nursery for some more native hummingbird nectar plants.  I highly recommend Biosphere as an excellent source of native plants.  Their plants are very healthy, they have a very friendly and knowledgeable staff, and their prices are less than other nurseries.  Hopefully the new plants will help me continue to attract hummers to the yard! :)