My dog Rufus and I just came in from the proverbial front porch where we were watching hummingbirds fly aerial combat around my feeders.
I have written in the past about it, but they remind me of Pappy Boynton and his Ba Ba Black Sheep Squadron of Marine Corps fighter plane pilots of WWII. The hummingbirds are quite territorial and fight over those feeders as if their little lives depended on it. I reckon it does because they will soon be flying south for the winter. Maybe it is just me, but have you ever noticed that the sounds they make, not just the humming of their fast beating wings, but when they are fussing with each other sounds a lot like a lighter version of dolphins of the sea? Makes me think they are quite intelligent for the wild kingdom, which brings me to another subject – butterflies.
Have you noticed there seems to be a proliferation of them this year? I do not know if it is because we had such a wet July with more flowers and blooms, but I have seen more than normal it seems. Maybe it is because Rufus is a young bird dog and he points those butterflies like they are a covey of quail. He is downright comical when one he has pointed with such stealth lands on his nose and really freaks him out. He freezes to the point he looks like he is not breathing. We have a large persimmon tree out back and it is dropping persimmons at a healthy rate. These butterflies seem to be getting drunk on its fruit. Sometimes there are literally multitudes of butterflies out there and old Rufus goes absolutely nuts.
Now I am going to try to wrap this story up with what I am trying to say. I got my main food plot planted last week in preparation for deer season along with my turnip green and collard patch out back on my farm. I have talked with a lot of deer hunters who have done the same and are worried about rain to make it come up healthy. The day I planted mine, it was knocking on two o’clock and I had not had any lunch. So I took a break and a power nap after I ate. I was awakened by a “frog-choker;” it was “raining cats and dogs.” Well, I said too myself that I will have to wait until tomorrow to cover my seeds and fertilizer. The next day, about midmorning, I began working and became worried because my tractor was trying to bog down in some places on my farm. I was already into it, so I kept going thinking I might have to replant, but life on the farm is what it is.
Ol’ Rufus and I made a little walk around the place this afternoon and all of the stuff I have planted is coming up, but it could use a little more rain. Well, as Rufus, who was chewing on a shed deer antler, and I were sitting on the porch watching the hummingbirds, a little shower of rain started. I thanked the Lord with a short prayer and remembered that the Good Book says, “Oh ye of little faith.” I think of those tiny creatures – butterflies and hummingbirds going south for the winter. How many storms will they face coming and going? Obviously, they have faith in what their little bodies are programmed to do. This world is such an amazing place and I am thankful He has let me visit it for the short time I will be here.
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On the Porch with Dirk is a recurring article written by Dirk Thayer, an avid outdoorsman and storyteller.
