Rose of Sharon heading west. 

Desert Bound

Yup.

I'm heading back out to the high desert to check out my handiwork.

In case you missed it, I took a carload of plants from Illinois to New Mexico in very early summer. Now I get to go see what's still living, even though some people claimed they'd never survive the move.

I have it on good authority that some already declared themselves permanent residents.

According to the news flashes I get periodically, here are a few of the survivors:

catnip
thyme
blue mist shrub
hollyhocks
spider plant
naked ladies
allium
coreopsis (at least two varieties)
lilies
daylilies
ornamental grasses (several types)
honeysuckle vine
trumpet vine
perillia
hawkweed
canna
artemisias (several types)
wild petunia (ruellia)
painter's palette
a variety of sedums
purple coneflowers
a variety of yarrows
a hosta or two
mint
a stray datura
Russian sage
hardy hibiscus

I believe there are a lot more survivors out there. My sister just can't remember the names because of the wicked west wind. The tags just didn't stick in the sandy ground good enough.

Now I get to go play botanist and identify the plants with the missing tags.

And...

(Shhhhhh! This is a secret!)

I've stowed away a few plants in my trusty luggage to replace those that didn't find the surroundings to their liking.

This time I'm taking two rose of sharons, cypress spurge, two different rose campions, phlox, campanula, porcelain berry vine, more hardy hibiscus, golden Marguerite, veronica and coral bells.

You should see my suitcase.

Have plants. Will travel.

Fang In Guard Mode. 

Meet Fang

He...or she...doesn't LOOK mean, does he?

Well, he is.

I suspect my little friend is a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, but I'm not positive.

And it seems rather aggressive.

So I'll call it a he.

And I've named it Fang.

I know, Fang doesn't seem like a good name for a hummingbird, but it fits this one to a tee. What you can't see in the photo, is he's sitting on top of the hanger holding the hummingbird feeder.

And he guards it zealously.

(And the other two he can oversee from his vantage point.)

Fang is mean.

He won't let the other little hummingbirds have their fare share. As soon as they show up, he's after them so fast you can hardly see him moving.

And the chase is on.

Fang also chases bees away from the feeders.

He doesn't seem to care that he's hoarding a stash that would probably feed 100 hummingbirds. Fang just knows he's got a good thing going and he's not about to lose it.

Big meanie!

The others are developing a few tactics to sneak in for a drink. Stealth is key. Either that or wait for Fang to make the rounds of the flowers he's decided are worthy of his attention. Like the false dragonhead, Brazilian verbena, sweet peas, honeysuckle and impatiens.

But he's really more interested in guarding the feeders.

And he's rather brave.

He's occasionally given me a fly-by, which sounds like a mini helicopter buzzing you if you don't see him coming. Sometimes he ignores my being 3 feet away from the feeders. But he seems to have gotten a bit camera shy. I got a few photos in the beginning, but now when he sees me raise the camera he takes off.

Little stinker.

And he's there from dawn to dusk.

I'm beginning to think he sleeps on top of the feeder too.

He's fun to watch.

But I do wish he'd learn to share.