Dried.Flowrrs

you learn about a hummingbird species named “flame-throated sunangel” or “sparkling-tailed woodstar” or “purple-crowned fairy” or “shining sunbeam” or “sapphire-spangled emerald” or “amethyst-throated sungem” (these are all real hummingbirds). and you think “all the superlative descriptions of hummingbirds must be exaggerations”. then you learn that this hummingbird has like magnificent luminous aquamarine or sparkling-gold or iridescent flaming-orange feathers on its back, or glittering throat patches with mesmerizing color transitions from deep purple to vibrant pink. and maybe its maximum size is smaller than a bumblebee, with an adult weight of 0.09 ounces (this is a real hummingbird). maybe it hovers in-place in mid-air and can beat its wings at 200 beats per second (this is a real hummingbird). maybe multiple flower species have essential mutualistic relationships with the birds. maybe there is an entire lineage of so-called “flower mites”, tiny arachnids that use hummingbirds to travel between plants and can only feed on specific flower nectar pollinated by hummingbirds (this is real). or maybe the species lives only very high on the slopes of a single mountain where its beak is specially customized to feed on the nectar of a single flower species (real). and maybe there are two dozen or more species of hummingbirds which only live in small isolated pockets of high-elevation fog-shrouded cloud forests in very specific humid microhabitats in the misty and forested peaks of the tropical Andes or Mesoamerica. where every mountain range’s special combination of mist and fog and flowers and nectar creates a home for a unique bird. maybe they love sugar, just like me. and you’re like “this can’t be real”.