Archives

TIME TO PLANT EVENING PRIMROSE SEEDS

Oct25

        For the past several weeks, my wife and I have enjoyed the beauty of evening primroses.  I wish we could say we  planted these native plants, but I cannot.  They sprang up in some of the driest, poorest soil in our yard.  They have taken root in a patch of poor, dry, red clay soil along the end of our driveway.  This is a very precarious spot since it is in a zone routinely mowed by the Georgia Department of Transportation.  We have come to the realization we are going to have the best chance that primrose will continue to provide the beautiful color and provide food for pollinators, songbirds and others in various spots around our yard, now is the time to act.

       The evening primrose is a native biennial.  This means the plant has a life span that only lasts two years.  During its first year, it germinates, grows roots, short stems and leaves.  During the second year it grows tall flower stalks that are festooned with bright yellow flowers.  After the plant blooms it dies.

       There are several different ways to propagate the plant.  We plan on gathering a few of the plants’ dry seed pods.  We will then scatter the tiny seeds in two locations. Some seeds will be sown in pots.  Others will be scattered on bare soil at various spots around the yard.   If you spread the seeds directly on the ground select spots rated as poor to average. We will not make any effort to cover the seeds. By planting the seeds in the fall, the seeds will be exposed to natural stratification.

     You might be wondering why we are trying to promote evening primrose.  There are a number of reasons why we want to establish a thriving population of primrose in our yard. First of all, we enjoy the beauty provided by the plants’ showy yellow blossoms.

       The flowers also provide nectar for a number of moths and butterflies and is also serves a host plant for a number of species of moths.

       Primrose also provides food for many species of bees; this list includes sweat bees, carpenter bees and bumblebees.

       Both hummingbirds and butterflies also dine on the plants’ nectar.

       As for vertebrates, American goldfinches and a variety of sparrows and other songbirds eat the plants’ small seeds.  Small mammals also eat primrose seeds.

       If the evening primrose seems to be a plant you want to add to your native plant community, I suggest you research the various ways evening primrose can be propagated. 

       If you are successful in establishing evening primrose on your property, I strongly suspect you will feel that your efforts were well worth it.

      

 

BACKYARD SECRET – WHERE DO RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS WINTER?

Oct21

 

         When ruby-throated leave our feeders at the end of summer they winter in a number of places.

        While most of them leave the United States, a small number actually overwinter here.  Most of these birds take up residence in Florida; however, they also winter in a number of other Southeastern states.  I have banded wintering hummingbirds in Georgia.  Each year hummingbirds also winter in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

        Outside of the United States some rubythoats also regularly spend the winter in West Indies. 

        Most of our ruby-throated hummingbirds winter in a vast range that extends from Mexico to Central America. More rubythroats winter in Mexico than in any other country although wintering birds also reside in Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

DON’T TAKE DOWN ALL OF YOUR HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS

Oct14

        My wife and I saw a hummingbird October 9.  Since we have during the past five days later, we have probably seen our last ruby-throated hummingbird this year. In spite of this, we will continue the maintain a single feeder.  In fact, we take a feeder down.

       There are a couple of reasons for this.  One reason is, there is always the chance that a rubythroat heading toward its winter home.  If one does find our yard, it will benefit from being able to quickly refuel and continue on its migration.

      Another reason is a few rubythoats do spend the winter here.  If they do, our feeder will supplement the food it collects from feeding at yellow-bellied sapsucker holes, and other sources.

       If you do maintain a feeder, you have a chance of attracting a rufous hummingbird. Over the past several decades rufous hummingbirds have wintered here every year. In fact, the rufous hummingbird is the most common hummingbird seen in Georgia during the winter.

       A feeder will give you a chance of seeing another species of hummingbirds that visit the Peach State now and then. This includes such as the black-chinned, calliope, Allen’s and others.

       If you maintain at least one hummingbird feeder throughout the winter, chances are you will not see one of these birds.  If you are lucky, you will be in for a real treat. 

BACKYARD SECRET – FUELING RUBYTHROAT MIGRATION?

Sep3

       

During the past few weeks the hummingbirds that have been visiting our feeders seem are on a feeding frenzy. The reason for this is they are trying to store enough fuel (in the form of fat) to power their fall migration.

       Prior to migration, an adult female ruby-throated weighs roughly 1/10th of an ounce (3.5 grams).  These long-distance migrants will consume enough nectar and insects to increase their weight to 5.5 grams (0.194 ounces).  Each gram of this stored fat enables a hummingbird to migrate 300 miles.

THE TIMING OF THE FALL RUBYTHROAT MIGRATION

Aug30

       If you have been feeding hummingbirds, you have probably noticed that the number of rubythroats visiting your feeders has dropped significantly. This reason for this is rubythroats are heading south on their fall migration. Interestingly, the timing of their departure is dependent on their sex and age. Let’s take a quick look at the timing of the migration in Georgia.

       If you take a close look at the birds visiting your feeders, you will notice that currently few adult males are still using your feeders. The reason for this is adult males are the first to leave.  While some adult males will begin migration as early as July, most will leave in August.  The adult females are the next to leave they begin their southward trek in August.  The last to depart are the hummers that hatched this year. Most of these birds migrate in September.

TIPS THAT HELP OFFERING HUMMERS FRESH NECTAR

Jul22

      With heat indexes almost daily soaring above 110°F, the nectar we offer our hummingbird neighbors can quickly spoil. With that in mind, here are a couple of simple tips that help ensure that rubythroats will be dining on nectar that has not spoiled.

       While summer temperatures soar, the hummingbird nectar we provide in the feeders’ spoils more rapidly than it does when temperatures are not excessively hot.  With that in mind, if you are using large feeders that take hummingbirds days to drain, put them away and use smaller feeders.  In addition, it is a good idea to replace the unused fluid in your feeders every couple of days. 

       If you notice that the nectar in a feeder is cloudy, immediately discard it. That is a sure sign that it is no longer fresh.  

 

LOOK FOR THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD’S COURTSHIP FLIGHT

Apr16

        After the female ruby-throated hummingbirds have arrived in your backyard, be on the lookout for the male’s courtship flight.  When trying to attract the attention of a female a male will repeatedly fly in a large 180-degree arc.  If you have excellent hearing, you will be able to hear the male make a buzzing sound when it reaches the lowest point in the arc.

BACKYARD SECRET – FEMALE RUBYTHROATS ARE NOW IN GEORGIA

Apr8

         My wife and I live in Monroe County just north of the Fall Line.  Each year we anxiously await the arrival of hummingbirds that have spent the winter south of the border.  This year the first male was seen in Monroe County March 7, however, most folks did not see one until March 16-19.

       Female rubythroats are always seen days after the males arrive.  This past week the first females were reported here.  My wife and I, however, have not seen one yet.

      With that in mind, both males and females are obviously flying about the southern half of the state. Chances are, if you live north of Monroe County, there is a good chance you have already seen a male ruby-throated hummingbird at your feeder, although those of you that live in the northern portion of the state may not have seen a hummingbird yet. 

       If you have already seed a male, be on the lookout for your first female hummer.  Since I have no knowledge of the arrival dates for those of you that live in North Georgia, I would appreciate it if you let me know what the arrival dates of both males and females in your neck of the woods.

BACKYARD SECRET – PLANTING GROUPS OF PLANTS BENEFIT HUMMINGBIRDS AND OTHER POLLINATORS

Apr1

     

        If you are looking for a simple way to benefit hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators, plant nectar plants in groups of the kind.  You will find that mass plantings enhance the beauty of your yard and makes it easier for these valuable backyard neighbors to locate plants bearing nectar. 

       With that in mind, plant no less than 3-5 of the same variety together.  If have enough room for larger plantings, masses of plants measuring two to three are even better.

       I hope you will try this simple technique this year.  I suspect that, if you take this advice, the pollinators will love it and you will wonder why you have not adopted this gardening trip before.

SAPSUCKERS AID HUMMINGBIRDS

Mar9

       Since spring has arrived, any day now ruby-throated hummingbirds will begin showing up in our backyards.  When they return it is easy to believe that the sugar water we offer them in our feeders will address all of nutritional needs of these tireless migrants. Unfortunately, this is not the case.  While our hummingbird food supplies the birds with much-needed energy, it does not contain the vitamins, and minerals that are important to their diet. 

       The nectar that furnishes them typically comes from nectar gleaned from flowering plants.  The problem is many of the flowers that bloom at this time of the year are not excellent sources of nectar. Plants such as Daffodils, Bradford pears, even most ornamental azaleas produce little nectar. Fortunately, hummingbirds have another source of the sugar, minerals and vitamins they desperately need.  This food is tree sap.  A bird named the yellow-bellied sapsucker unwittingly supplies this “liquid gold.”

       This woodpecker drills shallow holes in the trunks of trees and other plants.  The sap wells become shallow reservoirs that collect tree sap.  The yellow-bellied sapsucker uses its brush-tipped tongue to mop up the sap.  To ensure that it has plenty of food, it chisels out lots of holes in concentric circles around a number of trees.

       Other critters such as butterflies, squirrels, and birds like hummingbirds also avail themselves of this unusual food.  In fact, the only Rivoli’s hummingbird I have ever seen was feeding at sapsucker holes in a tree growing in a backyard near Winder, Georgia.

       Ruby-throated hummingbirds often follow yellow-bellied sapsuckers to these holes.  However, whenever one of these special woodpeckers spots a hummingbird or other interloper feeding at its sapsucker holes, it promptly runs it off.

       I should note that this source of food is so important to rubythroats; their spring migration follows closely behind that of the yellow-bellied sapsucker. This helps ensure that rubythroats will have readily available sources of food as they proceed on their own journey north.

       I guess it would not be a stretch to call sapsucker holes Mother Nature’s Hummingbird Feeders.