Would you like some nectar, Hector?
Naturally
I watched a murmuration of starlings move as if it were inside a lava lamp, which made me think of hummingbirds. That’s because it’s a small world after all. In Minnesota, four native plant species—eastern columbine, Indian paintbrush, jewelweed and cardinal flower—rely on hummingbirds for pollination. The ruby-throated hummingbird’s wings beat an amazing 53 times every second and its heart throbs 1,260 times a minute.
I had a pleasant visit with Donald Mitchell and Ron Windingstad at the wonderful Henderson Hummingbird Hurrah in Henderson, Minnesota. I didn’t find out if all male hummingbirds are named Hector, but I tried.
Mitchell conducted field studies of hummingbirds and the plants they pollinate, and is a hummingbird bander. He said to attract hummingbirds, it's best to create a nectar farm that maximizes the amount of nectar available. One way to do this is to plant many red, tubular flowers that bloom in mid to late summer. Advertise your nectar farms with red flowers and the red on hummingbird feeders. Mitchell has seven hummingbird feeders located outside his home near Red Wing. In September, he goes through a gallon and a half of nectar every day. According to him, adding red dye or boiling the water is unnecessary. You can create the nectar solution by mixing 4 parts of water with 1 part of table sugar. You don't need to be too strict with those measurements. Ratios like 3:1 or 5:1 could be used.
Mitchell listed hardy perennials native to Minnesota that thrive in Zone 4: columbine, red buckeye, coral bells, trumpet honeysuckle and royal catchfly. Bee balm is recommended as its runners can be transplanted in spring, summer or fall. The native monarda attracts pollinators but is often overlooked by hummingbirds. Tall larkspur, standing cypress, cardinal flower and penstemon are other great choices. Anise hyssop is a native plant that's perfect for pollinators but not ideal for hummingbirds. Mitchell said perennials form the backbone of a hummingbird garden. In order of bloom: Eastern columbine (native and hardy), coral bells, bee balm (select red flowered mildew-resistant cultivars), tall larkspur (also pollinated by bumblebees), royal catchfly and cardinal flower.
Annuals include salvia (avoid fall-blooming salvias) with scarlet sage being an excellent choice. Flowering tobacco isn’t red but is a fine hummingbird plant as long as the scented species and hybrids are avoided as they are moth-pollinated and short on nectar. Propagating annuals such as salvia, flowering tobacco, canna (with small red flowers) and standing cypress is quite easy. Hummingbirds love jewelweed, but it’s important to note that deer love to eat orange jewelweed (spotted touch-me-not).
Vines that make good hummingbird plants are trumpet or coral honeysuckle, trumpet vine, scarlet runner bean, cypress vine and cardinal creeper.
Chimney swift expert Ron Windingstad is a friend from way back. People refer to chimney swifts as "flying cigars" due to their short, stout bodies and long, pointed wings. They breed across much of eastern North America. They nest and roost in chimneys, but changes in chimney construction and the development of modern heating methods have reduced the availability of nesting and roosting sites for swifts, and consequently, their numbers. Windingstad helped construct over 100 artificial chimney swift towers. I remember him doing a cartwheel whenever he saw chimney swifts.
Q&A
Jack May of Mankato asked what kingfishers eat. Belted kingfishers feed on small fish (usually those less than 4-5" long), crayfish, frogs, tadpoles and aquatic insects.
“Why are squirrels gnawing on my deck?” They aren’t eating the deck; they’re gnawing it to wear down their teeth, which grow constantly. I watched squirrels gathering acorns. The acorns from the white oak family are the tastiest. Red oak acorns are nutritious but intensely bitter because they have more tannin. Research found squirrels eat about 85% of the white acorns and cache 60% of the red acorns. The white oak acorns sprout in the fall and are more perishable when buried. Red oak acorns don’t germinate until the spring.
“How far apart should bluebird nestboxes be?” The North American Bluebird Society recommends 125 to 150 yards apart with boxes mounted in pairs where tree swallows are abundant. Paired boxes should be placed 5 to 15 feet apart and provide nesting sites for both species and limit competition between them.
Thanks for stopping by
“Life cannot be classified in terms of a simple neurological ladder, with human beings at the top; it is more accurate to talk of different forms of intelligence, each with its strengths and weaknesses. This point was well demonstrated in the minutes before last December's tsunami, when tourists grabbed their digital cameras and ran after the ebbing surf, and all the 'dumb' animals made for the hills.”—B.R. Myers.
“The world is changed by your example, not your opinion.”—Paulo Coelho.
Do good.
©️Al Batt 2023
An orange butterfly with black markings is a monarch or it might be a monarch mimic—a viceroy, which has an extra black line extending across the lower wings, visible when the wings are open or closed. The monarch flies along with its wings held up in a shallow V, while the viceroy makes several quick flaps before a flat-winged glide. Photo by Al Batt.