Plant nectar flowers now to attract summer hummers

Reap months of entertainment by sowing a few seeds now.

JEFFERSON CITY*April is a month of anticipation for nature lovers. Turkey hunters look forward to hearing the first gobble. Mushroom hunters scour the woods in search of the first morels, and anglers anticipate the arrival of hefty--and tasty--female crappie on spawning beds. For backyard bird feeders in Missouri, April brings the arrival of ruby-throated hummingbirds.

Hummingbirds are among the world's most fascinating creatures.

Consider these facts: --Hummingbirds' wings beat 75 times a second, creating the sound for which they are named. --They can fly up to 60 mph. --Their wing muscles are larger in proportion to their bodies than any other birds. --They are the only birds able to fly upside down and backwards. --In spite of weighing only about one-eighth of an ounce, some ruby-throated hummingbirds migrate nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico each spring and fall. --They live up to nine years, much longer than most animals their size.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds have shimmering emerald-green plumage on their heads and backs. Males sport dazzling scarlet throat feathers. During courtship, males perform a U-shaped flight like a roller coaster over females to attract their attention.

Males and females stay together only for mating. The female builds a walnut-sized nest of lichens, spider webs and plant fluff near the tip of a downward-sloping branch beneath a canopy of leaves. Nests usually are 15 to 20 feet above ground and often are near water.

Females incubate their two white, peanut-sized eggs without help from males. The eggs hatch about two weeks after laying, and fledglings leave the nest two to three weeks later.

Hummingbirds feed almost exclusively on nectar from flowers. However, males reach nesting areas before females and sometimes arrive before many flowers are in bloom. They sustain themselves on sap oozing from woodpecker holes.

For protein, hummingbirds eat small insects and spiders. This is particularly important to young, growing hummers.

Hummingbirds are as important to some flowers as the flowers are to them. Studies have shown that trumpet creeper, a flowering vine, depends almost exclusively on hummingbirds to carry pollen from one flower to the next, allowing the plants to produce fertile seeds.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are intensely protective of favorite food sources. They make fierce dives to drive off interlopers, chattering and screeching in high-pitched voices all the while.

Knowing all this, it is no surprise that millions of people put out hummingbird feeders to entice the tiny birds for a closer look. The most effective way to attract hummingbirds is with a combination of nectar-producing flowers and artificial nectar feeders.

Hummers instinctively explore red, orange or yellow objects to see if they contain nectar. Once they discover a reliable food source, they add it to their daily regular feeding routes.

Any container with a splash of red will serve as a nectar dispenser. Commercially produced feeders come in a wide range of designs and prices. You can make your own out of an empty one-pint milk carton by cutting large openings in the sides about an inch above the bottom. Fill the reservoir with sugar water, tie a bit of red yarn to the top, and you are in business. You also can fill a shallow glass with nectar and float a strawberry in the middle. The red fruit will attract hummers as well as flies to supplement the birds' diet.

To make artificial nectar, add one cup of sugar to four or five cups of boiling water and stir until completely dissolved. Red food coloring is not needed as long as you have a little red on the dispenser.

Cleaning dispensers every few days gets rid of mold and bacteria that are unsightly and unhealthy for the birds. Replace nectar at least weekly or sooner if it becomes cloudy.

Nectar-producing plants include cardinal flower, jewelweed, royal catchfly, fire pink, trumpet creeper, red buckeye, columbine and wild bergamot (also known as bee balm, horse mint or Monarda). These are the most natural hummingbird foods, since they are native to Missouri.

Non-native nectar producers include mimosa trees, azalea and flowering quince bushes, snapdragon, salvia, morning glory, impatiens, begonia, petunia, nasturtium, hollyhock, gladiola and geranium.

If bees and wasps discover your nectar feeder, you can install a mesh guard, either bought at a hardware store or made of small-mesh hardware cloth. Ants also can be troublesome. They can be discouraged by coating the feeder hanger with petroleum jelly.

Don't use insecticides on or near nectar-producing flowers or artificial nectar feeders. These can find their way into nectar and insects with fatal results for hummingbirds.

Hummingbirds usually arrive in extreme southern Missouri around the second week in April. It takes them another week or two to reach the state's northern counties.

Lanny Chambers of Fenton maintains a Web site with daily updates on the spring ruby-throated hummingbird migration in the eastern United States and Canada. Visitors to www.hummingbirds.net/map.html not only learn when they can expect to see the first hummers, they get access to a wealth of information about hummingbird biology and behavior, plus feeding tips.

Missouri's first reported hummingbird sighting of 2004 came on March 28 in Farmington. This year's migration seems to be proceeding more slowly. As of March 29, the sighting nearest to Missouri was in southwestern Tennessee.

-Jim Low -

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