In early August 2025, my family and I spent a week at Mohonk Mountain House near New Paltz, NY—a historic Victorian castle resort surrounded by mountains, forests, and beautifully maintained gardens. One afternoon, while wandering through those gardens, I was met with an extraordinary sight: hummingbirds darting so fast and close that it felt like they might zip right past my face. Normally, seeing one is like catching a flash of lightning—beautiful but fleeting, and nearly impossible to photograph. But here, with their numbers and fearless movement, I simply sat back, watched, and captured their beauty on camera. Wandering among the show gardens—originally designed in the late 1800s by co-founder…