Secrets from the Experts to Attract and Feed Hummingbirds

Transcription

1 Secrets from the Experts to Attract and Feed Hummingbirds a special publication from

2 Frequently Asked Questions Reliable answers about hummingbirds. HENRY SCOTT RIDGE QHow I can estimate how many hummingbirds I feed each day? Hummingbird experts A Nancy Newfield and Bob and Martha Sargent came up with a formula whereby you count the maximum number of hummingbirds you can see at one time at your feeders and multiply this number by six to determine how many birds are visiting your feeder on a given day. They arrived at this number based on years of banding and color-marking hummingbirds at feeders. At our feeders here in southeastern Ohio, we ve seen as many as 24 hummingbirds at the feeders during the busy part of the summer, when they go through a half gallon of sugarwater a day. Using the formula above, we calculate that we re

3 seeing 139 different hummingbirds in one day! There are 64 ounces in a half gallon, so if we divide 64 (the number of ounces consumed) by 139, the birds are averaging.46 ounces of nectar. That s more than double the weight of a typical rubythroat! Wow! Although this is not strict science, it s fun to do the calculations! How do I keep ants/bees Q out of the hummingbird feeder? Select a hummingbird feeder with bee guards. These A plastic devices allow the longer tongues of hummingbirds to reach the nectar. Bee guards prevent shorter insect tongues from reaching the nectar. Replace any dripping feeders. You can also do things to discourage ants from getting to your feeders. Laundry detergent applied with a paintbrush will work. Paint whatever surface the ants use to gain access to the feeder (but not the feeder itself). The solution interferes with the ants chemical navigation. Refresh the application several times the first day. After a few days you won t need it anymore. Or hang an ant moat above your nectar feeder, and keep it full of water. Ants can t swim, so they won t be able to get to your nectar feeder. What is the best ratio of Q sugar-to-water to use for feeding hummingbirds? Four parts water to one A part sugar (a 4:1 ratio) has been shown to be the closest to the sucrose content of natural flower nectar. Concentrations stronger than this (3:1 ratio and stronger) are readily consumed by hummingbirds, but no scientific evidence exists regarding the potential helpful or harmful effects on them. Can I use molasses or Q honey instead of sugar to make my hummer nectar? No. White table sugar is A the only human-made sweetener that, when mixed with the proper amount of water, closely resembles natural flower nectar. Resist the urge to use other sweeteners, which spoil quickly and may not be good for hummingbirds. Never offer zero-calorie sweeteners to hummingbirds not even natural stevia. Hummingbirds need calories from nectar! Q When making hummingbird solution, do I boil the water before or after I add the sugar?

4 If you are using chlorinated A municipal water, boiling helps to reduce the amount of chlorine in the water. Hot water dissolves the sugar faster, but cool your solution before giving the birds access to it. If you do boil the water, do it first, before adding the sugar. Is the red dye found in premixed hummingbird Q solutions bad for hummingbirds? Although no conclusive A scientific evidence exists showing harmful effects of red food dye on hummingbirds, this chemical additive is certainly not a necessary ingredient in hummingbird solution. Many commercially available brands of hummingbird solution contain red food coloring, which is meant to be attractive both to hummingbirds and to bird watchers. Brightly colored flowers are nature s way of attracting the eye of a foraging hummingbird, so the red solution aims to do the same. Bright red feeder parts (which most hummer feeders have) or a bright red ribbon hung near the feeder can be just as attractive as red-dyed solution. Red dye or food coloring may or may not be harmful to hummingbirds, but it is completely unnecessary, so why take a risk? How do I foil a bully Q hummer? Many hummingbird species defend feeding ter- A ritories, and congregations at feeders usually develop hierarchies. The behavior exemplifies natural selection at work, and you should do nothing except enjoy it. If you re worried about hungry hummingbirds, put up several more feeders near your original one. The bully will be overwhelmed by sheer numbers of other birds and will quit being so territorial. Q Why does our male hummingbird fly in a U-shaped pattern?

5 This is the pendulum display flight of a male to a A perched female. He zips back and forth and flashes his colorful throat (gorget) at her, hoping to impress her into mating with him. It is common to see this behavior in early summer. Do hummingbirds migrate Q on the back of Canada geese? No. This is either a Native A American myth or just an old wives tale. Hummingbirds are excellent, strong-flying migrants. A healthy rubythroated hummingbird can handle the 500-mile, nonstop flight across the Gulf of Mexico. Is it true that hummingbirds at my feeder will not Q migrate if I leave my feeder up in fall? No. This is another in a A long line of bird myths. Birds are genetically programmed to migrate when their internal clocks tell them to do so. They will depart when the time is right whether your feeders are up or not. Leaving your feeders up in fall, and getting them up early in spring may help early or late migrants that are passing through your area. Does a hummingbird find Q flowers by smell? Hummingbirds have little A or no sense of smell. Most plants that attract hummingbird have no fragrance, and those that do (Japanese honeysuckle, for instance) are exotics, usually Asian or African in origin. Therefore, it would be incorrect to say that hummingbirds are drawn to any flowers because of the scent. For more information, check out The Backyard Bird Watcher s Answer Guide and Enjoying Hummingbirds More from our booklet series. Are there bird houses specially designed for hum- Q mingbirds? A Hummingbirds do not live or nest in houses like bluebirds, house wrens, and some other species. Rather, they collect spider web fibers and lichens to build cup-shaped nests on forked tree branches or a convenient ledge. In the West, black-chinned hummingbirds often nest in close proximity to humans. There are products on the market that provide an inviting construction area for this species. It s basically an artificial tree branch. The best way to attract hummingbirds is to offer them a variety of nectar-producing plants and a few feeders. Since hummingbirds like to eat flying insects, you can provide a reliable food source by keeping your yard free of pesticides.

6 Things You Can Do to Attract Hummingbirds TThe hummingbirds are coming soon (if they haven t already returned to your backyard and garden). Here are our Top 10 things to do to attract (and keep) hummingbirds in your backyard. Add a new native plant species to your garden. You just can t have too many good humming- 10 bird plants in your garden or JULIE ZICKEFOOSE yard. Take an inventory of your existing offerings and consult a source of hummingbird plant information for ideas on what to add next. Good sources include plant charts in Enjoying Hummingbirds More, and Creating Your Backyard Bird Garden. Both titles are part of the backyard booklet series published by BWD Press (P.O. Box 110, Marietta, OH Both are 32 pages, full color, $4.99 each. redstartbirding.com). Also: Hummingbird Gardens, an excellent book for gardeners written by Nancy Newfield and Barbara Nielsen (Chapters Publishing, 144 pages, full color. $19.95 plus $4.00 shipping). Local nurseries can also offer you tips on the best species to plant in your location. 9Plan a continuous blooming schedule. When you re leafing through your garden catalogs or wandering the greenhouses

7 of your favorite garden center as you plan your hummingbird garden, choose plant species that have different blooming periods. For example, choose a ready-to-bloom hanging basket of fuchsia for early flowers, a fast-growing salvia species for midsummer flowers, and a late-blooming trumpet creeper that will be in flower in late summer and fall. Ask a local gardening expert for advice on blooming schedules and seasons for your area, soil type, and climate. Continuous blooming means hummingbirds will always have a reason to be in your yard, especially late in the season when flower production is down but hummingbird numbers are up, with all the recently fledged youngsters. 8Deadhead your flowers to enhance blooming. This old gardeners trick is a clever one. By removing old blossoms (this process is known as deadheading ) shortly after they have wilted and removing seed JULIE ZICKEFOOSE

8 PHOTOS.COM heads from blooming plants, you trick the plants into thinking that their work is not yet done. The plants respond by continuing to produce flowers and seed heads, in the end producing far more than they would have if they had not been deadheaded. Later in the season, you can let the plants go to seed to ensure that you ll have them back in your garden next year. 7 Tie an orange ribbon around the old oak tree. Use footlong pieces of surveyor s tape (bright red or orange plastic ribbon sold in hardware stores) to catch the eyes of passing hummingbirds. Tie these pieces to bushes, trees, deck railings anyplace near flowers or feeders. The bright colors will lure migrant hummingbirds down from the sky for a closer look. When they get there, they ll find your flowering gardens and hummingbird feeders, which might make them decide to stay for more than just a rest stop. Special thanks to hummingbird guru Bob Sargent for this idea. 6Repaint your plastic flowers; rehabilitate your old feeders. If the red parts on your hummingbird feeders are getting a bit dull, you can repaint them using bright magenta nail polish. Make sure the nail polish is totally dry before you fill and place the feeder. When dry, the polish s bright color is a visual signal to hungry hummers. 5Replace old feeders. Don t want to waste good nail polish and elbow grease on rehabilitating your tired, old hummingbird feeders? Don t be a cheapskate. Go buy some new feeders. This time, get durable, heavy plastic feeders. Make sure they are designed for easy filling and that they come apart for easy cleaning. If you still insist on getting El Cheapo feeders, start saving now to buy a new batch of feeders next spring. 4Make snag perches for hummingbirds. Bluebirds, kestrels, and flycatchers all like to use snags for perching. Why do they perch? To rest, to preen, but

9 most of all, to hunt. Hummingbirds are no different. After beating your wings at a rate of 80 per second, you d feel like taking a break, too. All hummingbirds, but especially males, like to perch on the end of an exposed branch. From this vantage point they can see danger or rivals approaching. And they can sally forth into the air to grab a tasty insect, should one happen to fly past. You can create a hummingbird snag by sticking a dead branch into the ground so that it stands vertically. Place it about 50 feet from your feeder, but still within view. You may find that a territorial male uses the perch as a watch tower from which to defend a lone feeder. If this happens, see #1 below. 3Add a mister to your yard. A mister is a small attachment for your regular garden hose. With the hose turned on to just a trickle, the mister, with its pinhole opening, shoots a fine spray or mist into the air. Hummingbirds, like all birds, will regularly bathe if a ready supply of water is at hand. But a mister in action is too much to resist! Hummingbirds love to fly through the fine spray until they are thoroughly soaked, at which point they zip off to a handy preening perch. Misters are available at hardware stores, lawn and garden centers, specialty bird stores, and on the Internet. 2Don t remove those spider webs. Hummingbirds use spider web as a primary construction material in their nests. Strands of spider web hold the nest together and to the branch upon which it is built. But wait, there s more! Hummingbirds also love to steal insects from spider webs. Insects are an important source of protein for hummingbirds, and they ll get them any way they can. How convenient for hummingbirds to have spider webs do the catching for them. 1Got bullies? Add more feeders in a clump! If you have one male hummingbird that is dominating your feeder to the exclusion of all others, there are two ways to afford your other hummingbirds a drink. One is to put up other feeders on opposite sides of your house, or out of sight of Mr. Bully. Of course, this may simply mean that you are setting up other fiefdoms for other male bullies. Perhaps a better solution is to add two or three more feeders in the vicinity of the first feeder. This will attract multiple hummingbirds, which will quickly cure your bully of his territoriality. He will not be physically able to fight off all the other hummingbirds, so he will give up trying.

10 Gardening for Hummingbirds CHARLES MELTON The Continental East Ed Kanze Imagine you could plant a garden so lush, green, and full of blooming things that angels would come down from on high to sip from its reservoirs of nectar. You can. With the right flowers to attract them, you ll provide irresistible temptations to hummingbirds the angels (and devils) of the bird world. Hummingbirds seem like angels because they flash colors too bright to be of this world; they fly forward, backward, and sideways with the greatest of ease; and they sport glittering feathers that put Elvis Presley s sequined jumpsuits to shame. They are devils because hummingbirds will do just about anything to defend their feeding territories joust, stab, intimidate, and attack relentlessly. If you re going to attract hummingbirds to dine in your yard, be prepared to observe table manners ranging from angelic to beastly. Gardening for hummingbirds can be as simple or as complex as you like. First, of course, you need a patch of ground within the breeding or migratory range of one or

11 In Big Bend National Park in Texas, I was once prodded repeatedly by a blue-throated hummingbird. It mistook the maroon day-pack on my back for an oversized blossom. CHARLES MELTON more hummingbird species. Where I live in upstate New York (and throughout the eastern United States), the hummingbird that nests in trees and passes through town during spring and fall migrations is the ruby-throated. Western friends see a variety of species, and in the Mississippi town where my wife and I once lived, friends report regular visits from two hummingbirds, the ruby-throated and the rufous. This is an exciting time to garden for hummingbirds because the old rules about which species occur where are changing rapidly perhaps because more people are paying attention to hummingbirds and feeding them than ever before. Expect visits from the hummingbirds that experts say are found in your region, but always keep your eyes open for surprises. For example, many books on birds assert that the only hummingbird east of the Mississippi is the ruby-throated, yet hummingbird enthusiasts in the eastern states have documented cameo appearances by black-chinned, Anna s, and rufous hummingbirds all wanderers from the West and the Gulf Coast wintering buff-bellied hummingbird. Plant the right flowers and they will come. What wildflowers and flowering shrubs and trees will prove irresistible to hummingbirds? That s what you ll need to know. People who hike through hummingbird territory wearing red have learned that the color red can be a powerful attractant. In Big Bend National Park in Texas, I was once prodded repeatedly by a blue-throated hummingbird. It mistook the maroon day-pack on my back for an oversized blossom.

12 Bees see best at the violet and ultraviolet end of the spectrum, and perhaps that s why hummingbird-attracting plants have evolved red, orange, and yellow flowers. Bees see these colors poorly, if at all, yet hummingbirds spy them at great distances. In fact, if you want to attract hummingbirds to a newly established garden or feeding station, hang scarlet ribbons or pieces of crimson cloth in the vicinity. If they re buzzing around the neighborhood, hummingbirds will notice the colors and zoom in to investigate. Scientists believe that it s no coincidence that hummingbirds, with their attenuated tongues and long, pointed bills, are perfectly suited to drink from and pollinate certain flowers. Hummingbirds and many of the blossoms they visit are thought to have evolved together in a process biologists call coevolution. Each gets something from the bargain. Hummingbird plants get their pollen delivered from far afield, which stirs the genetic pot and makes for numerous and vigorous seeds and seedlings. In payment for their courier work, hummingbirds come away with aviation fuel (we call it nectar, and its main ingredient is sucrose) and a rich harvest of insects. No bird lives on sweet drink alone. For hummingbirds, insects and spiders provide fat and protein vital to their survival. So while hummingbirds come to your garden for nectar, they will also take away bellies full of bugs. Hummingbird flowers generally have little odor, and most hummingbirds have little or no sense of smell. (The blackchinned hummingbird of the West may be an exception, or the rule. Studies suggest that this bird sniffs its way to feeders. Further study will clarify whether other species do, too.) Yet what they lack in scent, hummingbird blossoms make up for in pleasing shapes and colors. Hummingbird flowers are usually trumpet-shaped, with the long tube or throat of the trumpet drooping downward. The shape and orientation help to deter would-be nectar robbers such as bees and butterflies, and the trumpet, or tubular corolla, guides the bird s bill to its sweet reward. While feeding from a blossom, the hummingbird usually deposits or picks up pollen on its forehead, chin, or bill. Some hummingbird plants produce pollen at one time and develop receptive stigmata (the female parts of the blossoms) at others. This arrangement ensures that each flower receives another flower s pollen a desirable circumstance that produces greater genetic diversity among the plant s seeds and better odds for survival.

13 As I ve already mentioned, bright colors (mostly reds, oranges, and yellows) typify the flowers that hummingbirds visit. This is a good thing, not only for the hummingbird that uses the colors as signposts to food and drink, but for the hummingbird gardener, too. Every plant that attracts hummingbirds produces gorgeous blossoms. In providing food for the birds, you supply yourself, your friends, and neighbors a feast for the eye. A simple hummingbird garden might consist of a few plants of one or two species just enough to bring hummingbirds close for a look during the growing season. My first attempt at cultivating plants for hummingbirds was wildly successful, and it consisted simply of transplanting a perennial herb called wild bergamot (monarda) from a meadow where it was abundant and soon to be mowed. The plants were ready to bloom, and I loved the idea of seeing the buds open outside a picture window I had recently installed. By careful digging and frequent watering after the plants were relocated, I kept all of them alive. They flowered magnificently, attracting several hummingbirds. Fourteen years later, the wild bergamot and its offspring still thrive in the place where I planted it. So do the hummingbirds, which are probably descendants of the bergamot s first visitors. Of course, if you like your gardens grand and want to keep hummingbirds visiting throughout the season, you ll need to cultivate a variety of plants. Here I recommend choosing natives to your region over exotics. Ecologists are increasingly aware of the havoc alien plants are wreaking in environments around the world. The beauty of gardening with indigenous plants is that it s a win-win-win situation. You can conserve natural resources, minimize your work load (natives, when planted in the right place, require little care), and grow a beautiful garden all at the same time. The best plantings for hummingbirds vary from region to region. Detailed recommendations can be gleaned from numerous sources, including garden centers, plant nurseries, and websites. In my neck of the woods, proven hummingbird attractors include the red native lobelia known as cardinal-flower, wild columbine, two of the mints bee balm and wild bergamot wild bleeding-heart, turtlehead, the wild impatiens known as jewelweed, and native azaleas such as pinxter-flower. Certain trees attract hummingbirds, too, among them black locust and basswood. If you grew these plants and not a single hummingbird ever appeared, you would be satisfied by the beauty of the flowers alone.

14 Brightly colored flowers of all shades are attractive to hummingbirds. JULIE ZICKEFOOSE When hummingbirds do appear, they are the icing on a brightly colored cake. In western North America, gardeners can attract such beauty pageant winners as rufous, broad-tailed, Calliope, and Anna s hummingbirds. Here native hummingbird plants are as diverse as the birds that sip from them. Good plants to try are soft-stemmed wildflowers such as bluebonnets, claret cup cactus, columbines, scarlet delphinium, Indian pink, monkey flowers, penstemons, and sage; and woody plants such as ocotillo, New Mexico locust, and California buckeye. Although I have a strong preference for cultivating local native plants rather than exotics and plants that are indigenous but outside their natural ranges, hummingbirds are not so choosy. The little nectar drinkers, in their enormous thirst and need to meet the high caloric cost of keeping airborne, will come readily to snapdragons, petunias, lilac, clematis, fuchsia, nasturtium, morning glory, eucalyptus, foxglove, lantana, horse chestnut, and Japanese honeysuckle. Among the extralimital native plants that hummingbird-lovers grow in my part of the country are trumpet creeper, buckeye, Turk s cap lily, and flame azalea. To obtain plants and seeds, there are several options. Your local nursery probably stocks a variety of species on the hummingbird menu. The staff can advise you as well as anyone regarding which plants will thrive in your corner of the world. Magazines featuring birds and gardening usually run

15 A male ruby-throated hummingbird performs a courtship display flight for a female. advertisements from companies that sell bird-attracting plants by mail. When ordering long-distance, make sure you select plants that will be hardy in your region, and insist on a guarantee that the nursery is getting its stock from plant breeders, rather than pillaging from the wild. Because hummingbirds feed on insects as well as sap and the nectar of their favorite flowers, all the plants of your garden will encourage them in one way or another. Where there are green and growing things, there are bugs. The menu for most hummingbirds includes gnats, fruit flies, aphids, mosquitoes, and tiny bees. Spiders are seized and swallowed, too, as are those spider look-alikes, the daddylong-legs. Watching hummingbirds in your garden will provide a source of satisfaction and delight. Rather than seeing the hot-blooded helicopters landing again and again in the same manner on a factory-made feeder, you ll see their acrobatic talents tested by a variety of plants. Hummingbirds hover, advance, retreat, and drive off competitors as conditions necessitate, ILLUSTRATION BY JULIE ZICKEFOOSE

16 and watching them provides a delightful course in civil and notso-civil aeronautics. As gardener and air-traffic controller, your choice of planting locations may have an important effect on the number of hummingbirds you attract and the amount of time they spend battling each other. Distributing plants around the four sides of a house, for example, will help ensure that more than one hummingbird enjoys your floral smorgasbord. Male and female hummingbirds will defend favorite feeding grounds, but there is a limit to how much area one bird can survey and defend. You can also promote peace among hummingbirds by choosing plants with modest numbers of blossoms, and growing many of them. This will allow several hummingbirds to coexist in an area that otherwise might support only one. If you maintain hummingbird feeders, or would like to, a hummingbird garden will help attract customers and keep them around. The reverse is also true. Hanging a few nectar feeders in or near your garden will supplement the diet provided by the plants and ensure that the birds not only pay you a visit but stay a while. There s no need to buy commercial nectar formulas. Simply boil four parts of water, stir in one part table sugar by volume, cool, and fill your feeders economically. Be sure to keep unused sugar solution in the refrigerator and keep your feeders clean. In positioning a hummingbird feeder, I recommend keeping it within view of hummingbird plants and well away from ordinary bird feeders. Once, my wife and I hung a hummingbird feeder a few inches from a feeding shelf frequented by a male cardinal, and the result was ugly. A male hummingbird zoomed in, jabbed the much larger red bird several times in the belly, and backed off, hovering. The cardinal, meanwhile, either terrorized or affronted, fled the scene and never appeared again. So if it s hummingbirds you want, get to work. From humble beginnings, your garden may grow over the years from a few plants seeded or transplanted on a single weekend into a lush, blossoming hummingbird paradise. It will be a paradise frequented by angels, and even if the feathered cherubs exhibit a little devilish behavior now and again, who will think to complain? Ed Kanze is a writer, naturalist, and photographer who lives in upstate New York. He has written several wildlife books and is a contributing editor to Bird Watcher s Digest.

17 Midwest/Great Plains Jennifer Baker North American hummingbirds are found in areas with scattered tree and shrub cover and along woodland edges; therefore the Great Plains, historically covered by grasslands, does not harbor many hummingbirds. In the Midwest, however, the ruby-throated hummingbird is a common visitor to our yards. To entice these creatures into your garden, offer their favorite foods by planting nectar-producing and insect-pollinated plants. Native wildflower options include the beardtongue, bergamot, and New Jersey tea. The lavender, tube-shaped flowers of the beardtongue welcome the hummingbirds voracious appetite for nectar in early June. In midsummer, the tiny white flower clusters of the New Jersey tea attract insects, which satisfy the hummingbirds quest for protein. The lilac flowers of the bergamot provide nectar in late summer. These wildflowers are native to the Midwest and eastern Great Plains and thrive on welldrained, sandy to sandy-loam soils. Bergamot will also do well in heavy clay soils. Jennifer Baker is senior consulting ecologist and landscape designer for Prairie Nursery in Westfield, Wisconsin. She lives with her husband and son on 160 acres in central Wisconsin. Humid South Jeanne Lebow The most exciting point to remember in the Humid South is that hummingbird gardening does not just mean rubythroats in the summer. Caribbean hummingbirds sometimes wander into southern Florida. The ruby-throated and buff-bellied breed in coastal Texas, and wintering Anna s hummingbirds have been reported as far north as Arkansas and North Carolina, with a Calliope noted in Atlanta. Although 10 species have been recorded in Mississippi, rufous hummingbirds seem to be the most numerous Humid South winterers. Although gnats and other soft-bodied insects are major winter food sources for hummingbirds (compost bins, ponds, and woods help grow these), nectar feeders and red flowers need to be up and running year-round not only to give flying dynamos a boost, but also to provide a chance of seeing wintering hummingbirds. Spring flowering natives that attract rubythroats are red buckeye, red maple, trumpet

18 CHARLES MELTON creeper, crossvine, lyre-leaved sage, azaleas; and rhododendrons and columbine in the northern part of the region. My husband Steve and I set out bright red cannas to act as a beacon to guide hummingbirds into our yard. Summer blooming perennials and vines include orange jewelweed (a must, especially in the northern and middle part of the South), bee balm, coral bells, coral honeysuckle, cypress vine, cardinal climber, red morning glory, butterfly bush, lantana, pentas, Turk s cap lily, red hibiscus, and red crocosmia. Flowering in early summer, the non-native mimosa tree provides nectar and insects. Hummingbirds love salvias, and many bloom until frost: pineapple sage, Texas sage, Mexican bush sage, and giant blue sage. Throughout summer and fall, red ginger lilies are the mainstay of our back garden, with cardinal flowers and Mexican spikes also blooming in fall. Many salvias and non-native favorites can be grown in the garden in summer and potted up and moved into the home or greenhouse on frosty nights and back out on warm days. Examples are Mexican cigar plants, shrimp plants, flowering maples, and pagoda plants. Jeanne Lebow has been a bird watcher and amateur naturalist for almost 40 years. She teaches creative writing at the Mississippi School of the Arts.

19 California/Pacific Coast Amy Stewart Passionflower vine and Mexican bush sage will welcome hummingbirds back into your garden every year. Consider drought-tolerant natives such as California fuchsia, monkey flower, and lupine. Aloes thrive in both desert and seaside areas and attract hummingbirds with their bright orange blooms. Cottage gardeners may want to consider butterfly bush, bee balm, penstemon, and foxglove. Try cardinal climber for a fast-growing annual vine with small, trumpet-shaped red flowers, and in the vegetable garden, plant scarlet runner beans for their bright red flowers and edible bean pods. Species most frequently seen along the West Coast this time of year include Anna s, Allen s, rufous, Costa s, and blackchinned hummingbirds. To see a thriving hummingbird garden in action, pack a picnic and head to a nearby botanical garden such as Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas, Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary in Modjeska Canyon, Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden in Claremont, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, or the University of California-Berkeley Botanical Garden. Amy Stewart is the author of Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers. She blogs with a group of opinionated gardeners at gardenrant.com. Pacific Coast/Northwest Barbara Richardson Pacific Northwest gardeners can stop returning rufous hummingbirds in their tracks with the early blooms of red-flowering currant. This deciduous Coast Range native prolifically flowers from March to June. Plant red-hot poker, foxglove, and the wickedly beautiful crocosmia (also called Lucifer ) in your perennial beds to keep the hummingbirds happy through midsummer. Then, from July to frost, let hardy Fuchsia magellanica boast a profusion of long red and purple flowers. Foliage colors range from rich evergreen to lime-tinged yellow to a variegated creamy gray and pink. All are hardy, except in the highest elevations. In a protected spot with some sun and good drainage, they can even bloom through mild winters. That should keep the overwintering Anna s hummingbirds very happy. Barbara Richardson is a novelist and professional garden designer. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

20 CHARLES MELTON Mountain West Miles Blumhardt Gardeners in the mountain ecoregion, especially those above 6,000 feet, can expect to attract broad-tailed, black-chinned, Calliope, and rufous hummingbirds. At lower elevations, spring and fall migration are the best time to attract hummingbirds. Best bets in shrubs to attract hummingbirds are Arnold s red honeysuckle, butterfly bush, flowering currant, rose of Sharon, and weigela. Penstemon tops the perennial list, followed closely by salvia, bee balm, cardinal flower, columbine, coral bells, and tall garden phlox. For annuals, try scarlet sage, salvia, petunia, flowering tobacco, four o clock, nasturtium, zinnia, snap-dragon, fuchsia, and spider flower. Inviting vines include trumpet honeysuckle, Dropmore honeysuckle, morning glory, trumpet vine, and scarlet runner bean. Due to wide fluctuation in planting zones (3 7) in this ecoregion, not all of these plants are hardy to the coldest zone. Check with your local nursery for hardiness. Miles Blumhardt is the outdoor and garden writer at the Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper. He is a self-taught gardener whose backyard is a certified backyard wildlife habitat.

21 A hummingbird s long tongue can reach nectar deep inside a flower or feeder. HENRY SCOTT RIDGE Canadian North Warren Balgooyen Here on our farm in central Maine, we are blessed with frequent visits of rubythroats, even though we have never used feeders. A 150-foot hedge of Siberian peashrub draws them in May with its profusion of deep yellow pea-like flowers. The hedge leads to the house where a perennial garden keeps them occupied all summer. Most prominent and popular in the garden is a large planting of mixed columbine. Their extended bloom lasts right into August. Concurrently, there are perennial pockets of bee balm, delphinium, and various lilies in bloom. A favorite seems to be a generous planting of the native Turk s cap lily. To our delight, this lily thrives here although it s well north of its natural range with stalks up to nine feet, and 20 or more flowers per stalk. Proximal shrub displays of weigela red prince and azalea rosy lights add to the lure along with the super hardy Dropmore honeysuckle, a hybrid vine developed in Manitoba, boasts orange-red tubular flowers through summer and fall. Each year a few tardy but hardy Dropmore flowers can still be found right up to the first hard freeze. Warren Balgooyen is a naturalist and field botanist who lives in Maine. He runs a landscaping service and provides native plants on his small farm in order to encourage wildlife habitat.

22 The black-chinned hummingbird, a widespread western species, will readily visit urban feeders and flowers. CHARLES MELTON Desert Southwest Lynn Hassler The Desert Southwest hosts more kinds of hummingbirds than any other part of North America. At lower elevations in this region, hummingbird gardening can be a year-round venture. With a selection of flowers that bloom at different seasons, one may host these hummingbirds all year long. The same garden might be visited by black-chinned hummingbirds in spring and summer, by rufous hummingbirds in early fall, and by Anna s hummingbirds in winter. One excellent choice for the hummingbird garden is autumn sage or Texas red sage. This small shrub, native to the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas and Mexico, sports tubular flowers in a variety of color forms. The reddish colors are best for attracting hummingbirds. Autumn sage has an extended blooming season during the warmer months, and in my Tucson garden it blooms throughout the year. It uses relatively little water and may not thrive in more humid regions, but it s a good choice for the arid Southwest. Lynn Hassler is a horticultural consultant specializing in bird and butterfly gardening. She is author of Birds of the American Southwest, Hummingbirds of the American West, Gambel s Quail, and Roadrunners. She is also the author of Ravens: Soaring Through History, Legend & Lore.

23 Cleaning Hummingbird Feeders Hummingbirds, daintiest and most miraculous of avian life what s not to like about them? Cleaning their feeders, that s what. As anyone who has struggled to scrub tubing clogged with bug debris knows, it s one yucky job. Then there are the wasps and bees that hang around, attracted to the sugar syrup, daunting all but the bravest from refilling the feeders. It s enough to make you forgo the pleasure of attracting hummingbirds to your yard. And what about the algae that seem to flourish inside the glass or plastic bottle section? There s not a brush around that will HENRY SCOTT RIDGE

24 remove algae satisfactorily. A South Carolina hummingbird fan has the answer to the feeder-cleaning problem. Henry Wedemeyer, a retired management consultant, has half a dozen bright red and yellow feeders hanging from tree branches at his home in Inman, South Carolina. He cleans and refills them weekly according to a system he s developed over the years. The reason Wedemeyer has so many feeders is that male hummingbirds jealously guard feeders and vigorously repel any females who approach his feeding stations. Multiple feeders give the females a better chance of getting fed. Wedemeyer favors the popular style of feeder featuring a blossom-shaped bottom with perches beneath each feeding hole. He says that although hummingbirds can sip while hovering, it s easier for them to sit a spell while they feed. His step-by-step program for cleaning feeders goes like this: 1 Take the feeder apart and soak the bottle, bee guards, base, and tubing in a pan of warm water. ILLUSTRATION BY JULIE ZICKEFOOSE

25 2To clean the bottle, fill it with water and add a small packet of nickel-plated BBs. Holding your thumb over the opening, shake well. The bouncing BBs will scour the inside of the bottle better than even a baby bottle brush, which can t reach into corners. Drain out the water, pat the BBs dry on a towel, and store them in a jar for the next cleaning Use cotton swabs to clean the base and tubing. Wipe off all parts with paper towels. Now for those pesky bee guards. Place them in a separate cup of warm water, and add a tablet of denture cleanser. Voila! The effervescing action will do the work for you. Reassemble, then fill the feeder. Invert the feeder and rehang. That s it, and the chore takes longer to describe than it does to accomplish. As Wedemeyer remarks, I used to hate this process. Now I only dislike it. More Tips for Hummingbird Lovers Henry and his wife, Elizabeth Hazel Wedemeyer, love the inquisitive nature of hummingbirds. She says, I m charmed by the whirring sound as they come close to investigate my lipstick or red, sunburned nose. Here are some other helpful hints for hummingbird feeding: Honey is not good for hummingbirds, and red coloring isn t necessary if your feeders have red parts. BWD recommends making your own nectar. Use four parts of water to one part sugar. Bring the water to a boil, add sugar, and mix well; cool and refrigerate. If your feeders lack red parts, hang a bright red or orange ribbon or piece of cloth below the feeder. If the hummingbirds have not emptied their feeders in a week, change the liquid. It goes bad in about that time, and hummingbirds will shun it. Note: Nectar in feeders placed in direct, full sunlight will spoil more quickly and should be replaced more often. The arrival and departure dates of hummingbirds will vary with the locale, but you don t have to worry about leaving feeders up too long in fall. Hummingbirds will take off on their southbound flight whenever nature tells them to, irrespective of local feeding opportunities.

26 Elsa Thompson s Nectar for the Hummingbirds For 1 quart: 4 cups water 1 cup sugar 1. Fill a 1 quart jar with 1 cup water. 2. Nuke in microwave for 3 minutes. 3. Carefully remove to sink it will be very hot! 4. Pour 1 cup sugar into jar and stir until dissolved. 5. Fill jar with cool water. 6. Fill clean feeder(s) with nectar. 7. Cover jar with lid and refrigerate. Hummers will take cold nectar, but it s always a good idea to warm the nectar to room temperature before refilling the feeder.

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