Seasonal Milepost – Return of the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds

Mid-May (Northland arrival)

A defining marker of late spring’s transition toward early summer

The return of the ruby-throated hummingbird is one of the most anticipated signs of the advancing season in the Northland. After an extraordinary migration—many traveling nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico—these tiny birds reappear almost overnight, bringing motion, color, and energy back into our yards and wild spaces.

In this captured moment, a hummingbird pauses as it backs away from the feeder, suspended in mid-air against a backdrop of lupine. With wings beating up to 80 times per second, it hovers effortlessly, moving in ways no other bird truly can. The male’s brilliant red throat, known as a gorget, flashes only when light strikes it just right—an iridescent display crafted not by pigment, but by microscopic structures that reflect light like living prisms.

Their arrival signals more than just warmer days—it marks the awakening of nectar sources, blooming wildflowers, and the steady rhythm of summer drawing near.

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” – Matthew 6:26

Only God could have conceived of such a work of creation, made for His glory and our enjoyment.