Zion, UT

Hummingbirds have no sense of smell but very keen eyesight. They do not suck nectar, they lick it with a fringed forked tongue. Capillary action along the fringe of their tongue helps draw the nectar into their throats so they can swallow.

A hummingbird’s throat color is not caused by feather pigmentation but rather by iridescence in their feather arrangement. They cannot walk or hop and have only 1,000-1,500 feathers–the fewest number for any bird species. Fewer feathers keep them lightweight for flight.

They also lay the smallest eggs for birds–the size of a jelly bean. Their average life span is 3-12 years and despite their size, they are aggressive. They attack jays, crows and hawks that infringe their territory. Backyard birders can find one dominant hummingbird that guards all the feeders, chasing intruders away.

Sunday, May 17, 2020–Jupiter

Alcohol Ink–Kathy Mathews

Alcohol Ink–Terry Mathews

Alcohol Inks–RAR

Alcohol Ink–DS

Picasso said after the liberation of France, “I didn’t paint the war.. but there’s no doubt the war was in my pictures.” We are all living a different type of war–the lockdown, the fatalities and the uncertainty about our future.

Nature is busy at work. Birds dropped the sunflower seeds in a raised bed near the bird feeder and beautiful flowers emerged.

April 9, 2020

Closed beaches, Tiffany blue waters and nesting Leatherbacks (April 4, 2020)

The artistic community in Jupiter, FL (43), December 2019

October 26, 2019

Alcohol Inks (Tiles) . Class by Jim Rigg–Lighthouse Art Center, July 19, 2019