Garden Jewel T-Shirt

A beautiful Allen's hummingbird caught in motion as he flies into the center of a red hibiscus in the garden.
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5�13 cm (3�5 in) range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings 12�80 times per second (depending on the species). They are known as hummingbirds because of the humming sound created by their beating wings, which sometimes sound like bees or other insects. To conserve energy while they sleep or when food is scarce, they have the ability to go into a hibernation-like state (torpor) where their metabolic rate is slowed to 1/15th of its normal rate. When the nights get colder, their body temperature can drop significantly and thus slow down their heart and breathing rate, thus burning much less energy overnight. As the day heats back up, th...

I have spent most of my life living in Southern California where I have developed an appreciation for all the beauty provided by nature. I've been blessed to be able to visit gorgeous mountains, like the High Sierra, which is home to some of the most majestic sights on earth, such as Yosemite National Park, as well as making quick trips to the beaches of the Pacific Coast, if I want to spend an evening shooting a sunset. One of my favorite past times has been to spend the spring season hunting down amazing wildflower blooms...including two years of "Superbloom" seasons in 2017 and 2019. These times have been beyond description, so I am thrilled to have many images to look back on! Also, for many years, the Texas Hill Country has been a...