July 25, 2014

My Nephew, Charlie's, Hummingbird Garden

My niece, Sophie Slater, who is a yoga teacher and life coach, is the editor in chief and main wellness writer for the Arogya blog. Arogya is a wonderful holistic healing center and specialty tea company, located in Westport, Connecticut. Sophie would like to share the following blog she posted about her brother, Charlie.

I grew up in Fairfield County, Connecticut and I had no idea about the abundance of Ruby-throated hummingbirds that migrate there for the summer.  This changed when my younger brother, Charlie Plimpton, opened my eyes to an incredible world that exists right in our backyards.  Charlie, who is completing his bachelor’s degree in wildlife and conservation biology at the University of Rhode Island, has loved hummingbirds since he was a boy.  Initially, he began hanging sugar-water feeders around the yard to attract these magnificent little creatures.  A few years ago, he developed a passion for gardening, and decided to create an oasis of hummingbird friendly flowering plants.  Charlie is always an inspiration and I was so happy when he offered to share a bit of his hummingbird garden wisdom for this blog.  There are a few things that make certain plants appealing to hummingbirds.  First and foremost, they seek out those whose flowers have a high amount of sugar in their nectar.  They are attracted to the color red, but will drink from other colors of flowers, as well.  Hummingbirds are also attracted to narrow, tubular shaped flowers.  I also wanted to express that Charlie is always reminding me of the invaluable and meditative act of slowing down in order to be more in tune with nature.  It’s incredible how much more perceptive and observant you become.  I can’t believe, for example, that all these elegant little hummingbirds were right under my nose for years!

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