hummingbirds

I was paddling one beautiful afternoon along the Silver River taking pictures of those cypress knees and I got sidetracked at a special place.  I landed my kayak by a  cypress stand with a field of Cardinal flower  lobelia cardinalis.

Knowing that cardinal flower is a favorite source of nectar for hummingbirds I decided to sit still for awhile.

 

It wasn't long, or maybe it was (I lost track of time)  before I was rewarded with a visit from the little magical birds.  There were several buzzing each other and flitting about from flower to flower in a ballet all their own. 

The flowers were sparkling like swamp jewels in the sunlight.

Time had been suspended and I sat for what seemed like a long time as the cypress swamp was pulsing with life.  Just like the otters,  hummingbirds know they are cool and can back it up.