fearless garden acrobats
As our New Hampshire garden awakens in May, we diligently watch the calendar, anticipating the return of the first Ruby Throat hummingbird. My garden diary promises the arrival of the little jewels usually between May 3rd and May 5th. I’ve learned to have their coveted sugar water feeders clean and full by May 1st (just in case) for they arrive ravenous with hunger from their long migration north from Texas, Mexico and beyond.
First, we host those that are just ‘passing through’, returning to their territories north of here. The males are the first to arrive. They zoom in, drinking heavily from the sugar water feeders. It’s thought that they take the same flight paths annually, so they know to come looking for sustenance in The Big Little Garden.
By late May the females have arrived, and we usually sense that ‘our’ birds are back and settling in for another glorious summer in the garden. Soon, the aerial courtship dances will begin as the males attempt to impress the females with their handsome plumage and acrobatics. Nesting begins (very likely in the boughs of the birch trees on our property) and the males fiercely defend their territory against other males (all while mating with other females!). In a few short weeks, the next generation of 2-3 fledglings appear at the feeders and in the garden. Last summer, I witnessed two adults leading a youngster to my salvia ‘Amistad’ and demonstrating how to extract nectar from the long purple trumpet blooms.
dietary needs
Hummingbirds are omnivores, with a diet of insects, tree sap and plant nectar. They are reported to consume up to two times their body weight in insects daily. Needless to say, they require an astounding amount of calories to fuel their wing flaps - up to 53 beats per second!
In late spring and early summer, the sugar water feeders are vital. Soon the garden takes over and the birds will mostly turn their attention to blooms and nectar. But the sugar water feeders will be cleaned and replenished every few days until early October.
favorite hummingbird plants
Hummers are not picky when it comes to trying out a potential food source. Yes, they are attracted by red flowers like bee balm (picture at top of this page) and honeysuckle, but in my garden, they will frequent the purple agastache, the pink foxglove, the white penstemon trumpets, the blue clematis bells of ‘Rooghuchi’, and more. Watch the video on this page to see two tiny jewels frolicking among the red lobelia cardinalis, which they find irresistible! They will also visit the floriferous pink phlox ‘Jeana’, swaying in the foreground. They sup from the bounty of the garden and in exchange contribute to plant pollination, transferring pollen as they move from bloom to bloom. To me, hummingbirds are simply wondrous!
caution required
Please remember that hummingbirds, as all birds and insects, are threatened by the use of pesticides. Please refrain from spraying your gardens to rid them of insects. Healthy gardens need insects to nourish the soil, to feed the birds and to help sustain biodiversity.
We have witnessed other mating dances, but this particular event was quite an extended display of either courtship, or possibly just friendship. We feel fortunate to have witnessed this wonderous event! (click the 4 corners icon in the lower right of the video to launch it to ‘full screen’ for maximum enjoyment, then hit the ‘ESC’ key to return to this page)