Hummingbirds, a Bird
& one Chocolate Midge

8 x 10 inches
oil on wood
2019

without frame

“The hummingbird generally symbolizes joy and playfulness, as well as adaptability.”

8 x 10 inches
oil on wood
2019

without frame

Hummingbirds are the ideal bird for pollination, because they feed so frequently. Like bees, they carry pollen from one plant to another and play a crucial role in in the reproduction of plants. When hummingbirds feed, their forehead rubs against the stamens and pistils collecting the pollen.

8 x 10 inches
oil on wood
2019

Pretty in pink!
Hummingbirds drink up to two times their body weight per day. As they move from plant to plant, they carry pollen. As they pollinate the native wildflowers in parks and the plants in your garden, hummingbirds add a splash of color to our landscapes. Hummingbirds are only found in the western hemisphere.

8 x 10 inches
oil on wood
2020

Varied Thrushes are stocky songbirds with large, rounded heads, straight bills, and long legs. Usually seen standing horizontally on the ground or in a tree, they often look plump-bellied with a relatively short tail. The Thrush is any number of birds in the Turdidae family. Some of the most well-known are robins, bluebirds, some blackbirds, and more.

They are not know to be pollinators.

8 x 10 inches
oil on wood
2021

While painting with such a bright color palette, I did some research on the hummingbirds’ vision. I need to share some insights. What do a hummingbird and a mantis shrimp have in common? They can see colors that are invisible to the human eye (like ultraviolet). Which is a little puzzling to me. I get that flowers really want the hummingbirds’ full attention to getting pollinated. So, it makes sense to me Hummingbirds need more photoreceptors than humans. (We have three types of cones—special cells sensitive to red, blue, or green light - and the hummingbird has four).

But now listen to this; the mantis shrimp has anywhere from 12 to 16 different kinds of cone cells! And he is not even pollinating anything.

What on earth does he need 12 cones for, down there in the ocean hiding away in burrows?

I am just glad God didn’t give us those 16 cones. I guess we’d all go nuts- or we’d be hiding in wholes like that shrimp does and start punching one another (yes, the mantis shrimp packs the most powerful punch in the animal kingdom). By the way: Thank you, Naomi Pitcairn, for your outstandingly beautiful photos of hummingbirds. I hope you like this painted version.
#allenshummingbird #hummingbirdpainting

8 x 10 inches
oil on wood
2020

This is a chocolate midge (Forcipomyia). It’s tiny tiny tiny, but greatly feared for it’s nasty bites. Anyway, it’s crucial for cacao pollination, therefore: Thank you, Chocolate Midge! No bigger than the size of pinheads, midges seem to be the only creatures that can work their way into the intricate flowers of the cacao tree to pollinate.