Tell me about…Imagination!
This month’s topic from my blogger writing group is “imagination”. It’s late summer here in Kentucky, and there are 2 tiny and highly-visible creatures this time of year that spark my imagination…
Hummingbirds and lightning bugs are my magical creatures of summer. If you’re from around here and you’re in a good mood, you drop the “g”s on both – so they’re humminbirds and lightnin bugs (ok, “fireflies” if you want to be uppity about it…)
I am sometimes jealous of other countries and their charming animals, like hedgehogs and doormice in the UK, puffins in Scotland or kangaroos in Australia, but I’m pretty smug about our hummers and lightning bugs. BTW, I KNOW you’re not jealous of raccoons or armadillos – if you are, we can ship you all those you want…
I have two hummingbird feeders which I fill twice a week for the several pairs of hummers that live in my garden each summer. They wouldn’t empty the whole feeder, but the homemade sugar water can go bad in a few days in our summer heat, which will make them sick, so I put in just as much as they’ll drink in a few days, then wash everything out with hot water and refill.
I have 2 feeders, out of sight of each other, as the tiny birds are INCREDIBLY belligerent and territorial, and the air-to-air combat, chirping and whirring of wings is something to behold. I also have to have “ant moats”, little water reservoirs to keep the feeders from being covered with ants. They evidently can’t get across the water. They have to be topped up daily, too.
We only have one species of hummer where I live, the ruby-throated hummingbird. Only the males have the red throats (isn’t that always the way?) but the females also have the irridescent green backs and wings. I travelled to Ecuador many years ago, and stopped at a lodge in the rainforest with hummingbird feeders everywhere. There were so many different species, larger and smaller than ours, and with incredible colors.
Their nests are TINY, maybe the size of a quarter, and their eggs are the size of peas. They hold the nest together with SPIDERS WEBS – how cool is that? – and they stick moss on the outside to camophlage it. The male’s only role is courtship and mating – the female builds the next, incubate and raises the chicks. They must grow to maturity before fall.
In winter, they will migrate thousands of miles to warmer climates in Mexico and Central America. They can travel as far as 500 miles in a day, crossing the Gulf of Mexico without stopping.
Hummingbirds seem to come from a magical part of nature, and I can imagine fairies riding them like tiny dragons. Thier chirping also sounds like a very complex language – I imagine them cussing each other out in Hummer during their dogfights, er, BIRDfights…
The other creatures of dreams are the fireflies. American children grow up catching these with their hands and putting them in jars, with air holes poked in the lids. They emerge from the grass at dusk, flying slowly and appearing to float upwards into the trees.
The nightly spectacle is utterly magical, and enchants most of us as children. One of my favorite scenes was a group of European adults, on our farm for a wedding, charging ineffectually around the yard in the gathering dusk, trying to capture lightning bugs to put in their jars (evidently this is a skill best learned young).
There are several species of fireflies in Kentucky, and many more around the world (they’re actually a genus of beetle). In some parts of the US, they actually synchonize their lighting! I’ve been told about it from an eyewitness, but never seen it myself.
Many illustrations for children show the lightning (it is very hard for me to even type that second “g”) bugs in tiny lanterns, as light sources for fairies, mice and other adorable creatures. A favorite memory of childhood is going to sleep with a jar of these tiny miracles flashing cheerfully on my nightstand (don’t worry, there WERE airholes poked in the lid and they were released in the morning).
Are there creatures (or plants) where you live that spark your imagination – either now or in childhood? Tell us about them in the comments!
- Curious about what’s cooking in Suzy’s imaginative mind? Her latest blog post, ‘Imagination,’ spills the beans on her lifelong love affair with books and the wild scenarios she dreams up – from sharks in puddles to kites morphing into dragons. Get ready for a fun-filled journey through Suzy’s creative world, where even everyday objects become magical with a little help from tools like Leonardo AI! Find her post here.
- Penny wondered if she had any imagination but yes, she could ….. imagine….. read about it here.
- Have you ever wondered what makes some people more successful, happier, and fulfilled than others? What is the secret ingredient that allows them to achieve their goals, overcome their challenges, and live their dreams? Sue, from Women Living Well After 50 finds answers to these questions and discovers that Imagination is a key to living well after 50. Read about it here.
- Last month, when Suzy chose “Imagination” as our August theme, Marsha thought she’d go in one direction, and then she took a completely different road! Come along as she searches for her imagination! Read it here.
- Leslie is Having to really use her imagination to talk about August’s Tell Us About theme…Imagination! Read it here.
- Debbie has a vivid imagination which can work for and against her at times. In this post she looks at the role of imagination in everyday life and how we can nurture our imagination to enhance our lives.
- Gail from Is This Mutton wonders if we are less imaginative as we get older.
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14 Comments
Gail Hanlon
Hummers and lightning bugs are both gorgeous- I can understand your attachment to them! I’ve never seen hedgehogs or dormice in the wild, unfortunately- I’d love a hedgehog in the garden.
mkmiller
Well, it’s good to know I’m not missing out on all the hedgehogs – haha! I’m grateful, as always, Gail, for you organizing all this – I had formatting issues with everyone’s links that I think is finally resolved. Unfortunately, I can’t see it until many hours after y’all do, but thanks for being patient. Looking forward to reading everyone else’s on my lunch break…
Debbie Harris
Oh my goondess those fireflies are so gorgeous MK! I really enjoyed your imagination post and the hummingbirds are amazing too. I had a nickname at work – I was called a hummingbird on speed 🙂
mkmiller
Thanks, Debbie! I would’ve loved to have seen you in action at work (from a safe distance, of course)! I had formatting problems with everyone else’s links this morning, and but think I’ve got it fixed now…
Suzanne
I love how you explained the ‘correct’ pronunciation of humminbirds and lightnin bugs! As a fellow Southern Gal, I got a chuckle out of that one. Your imagery of fairies riding them is perfect for this challenge.
mkmiller
Another Southern Gal – woo hoo!!! Where y’all from, Suzanne?
jodie filogomo
Fireflies!! Now that’s something I miss living in AZ. They really are the coolest things ever. I remember when we would go to Indiana to visit my mom’s family, and collect them in a jar. Talk about the good ole days.
It’s the baby quail here. Once you see them, you fall in love with them. They weren’t around in Jan…they only like warmer weather, but hopefully one of these days you can see them in person.XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
mkmiller
No fireflies? But you DO have hummingbirds, right? I do look forward to seeing those quail babies…
Suzy Turner
Gosh you are so lucky to have both hummingbirds and fireflies in your neck of the woods. I would so love to have them here in Portugal. And I know they would light my imagination on fire, for sure! They’re so very beautiful, aren’t they? I can’t think of any creature that has the same effect. I do love to watch the birds in the garden though but I can’t say they ignite much in the way of my imagination!
Hugs
Suzy xx
mkmiller
Thanks, Suzy. I think I need to get to Portugal before more of my countrymen discover it. There’s gotta be some kind of critter y’all have that no one else does?
Marsha Banks
Well, this Hoosier calls them lightnin bugs, too! Unfortunately, I don’t seem to see many of them around anymore. I think it may be because of all the cities spraying for mosquitoes. The hummers like the flowers on my hosta. I used to cut them off because I don’t really like them. Then, I saw how the hummers did so I leave them. Your photos (AI generated?) are glorious!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
mkmiller
Yes, I blame Chemlawn and TruGreen, as well as light pollution. Hummers LOVE those tubular flowers, don’t they? I love them at the feeder, but love even more seeing them feasting on my flowers…
Leslie Susan Clingan
How perfectly magical!! I love the lightning bugs so much but we don’t have them here in west Texas. A few years ago, my daughter and I took her daughters, ages 1 and 4, to visit my mom in Lexington. Each evening when we got Mom tucked in for the night, we would go back to our hotel and wander about in the grassy area around the hotel waiting and looking for lightning bugs. My granddaughters were mesmerized. And I was whisked back to summer evenings during my Tennessee childhood.
We do have hummingbirds here. Your captures are stunning!! I need to refill our feeder but this year has been so hot that I think the hummers are humming elsewhere, as I have only seen a few. Last summer we had a tiny hummingbird nest in our magnolia and 3 beautiful eggs. It was delightful watching all summer long.
Thank you for sharing these images and creatures. I am so happy to be reminded of them both.
mkmiller
I once collected a dozen fireflies and quietly released them in our hotel room while travelling with my family. Oh, the uproar after the lights went out! It took forever to get them all out – I was persona non grata (but secretly very pleased with myself!). I’m jealous of you actually finding a hummer nest.