I am posting this info here as many Florida gardeners may or may not be aware of hummingbirds in Florida. I posted a new thread in the Hummingbird and Butterfly forum that some of you may find of interest. I would like to encourage gardeners to consider becoming a hummingbird host:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1280306/
Hi Becky….Thanks so much for your post…I am trying my best to do what is right for our little Hummers…I've been gardening with wildlife in mind for several years now, but only recently have been thinking, and paying more attention to our Hummers. I very much appreciate the info that you have shared! Thanks! :-)))
Tim - Good luck!
Something else that I've read that might help attract them to your yard is wrapping some red reflective tape around shepherd's hook poles and other things in your yard. Supposedly the birds flying overhead are attracted to the color like they are red feeders and red blooming plants. When I first started out trying to attract them to my yard, I hung upside down red plastic solo cups in certain areas of my yard. Shortly after doing that, I saw my first hummer.
Now is a good time to put out feeders and decorate as they are migrating south for the Winter.
Pouring rain here. Got some syrup on the stove. They have a hard time after a rain. I have hummers that stay all year. Ive got them buzzing back and front and I love it. I just have a regular hummer feeder I leave up and loaded all year, unless I go a month without a visitor. I then put it back up by the end of Feb. Altho I love to watch them at the feeder, its eating from the flowers I enjoy the most, so Ive got all the regular hummer stuff. Love it when they buzz me because Im standing by their dinner. When feeding the hummers by flowers, you really get a two-fer becuase the butterflies like the same stuff.
I agree GardenGlory! Most of my flowering hummingbird plants are also used by several species of butterflies. Glad to hear you see them year round, too! (Though they aren't likely to be the same birds all year, but different birds migrating in and out of your yard.)
This message was edited Sep 19, 2012 9:11 PM
Praying Mantis attacking hummingbird. A topic that was brought up on another forum. I wanted to share an article and video with those who love and host the hummers:
Warning ... it's a bit graphic:
Article:
http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/learn/hummingbirds/mantis-hummer.php?sc=migrate
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep6vmpcUQR8
Whenever I find praying mantis in my yard, I remove and release them far away from my yard.
Wow, I had no idea that praying mantis' could be so dangerous! We usually get a few hummingbirds that hang around until winter. They're so fun to watch. Here's one that was feeding on flowers the other morning. (You'll want to click on the photo to see him in the upper right of the picture.)
