Return of the Hummingbirds

         An Anna Hummingbird on a Cirsium occidentale venustum, 
           Red or Venus Thistle, Photo Credit to LasPilitasNursery

Summer is here, and with it comes visits to the garden by our friends, the Hummingbirds!  If you have hummers in the garden, likely you have spent many happy hours observing them from your patio or from a well-placed bench in that part of the garden most favored by the birds.. a place of many nectar rich flowers.. or your well-maintained feeder.

Times are changing, though. Everywhere in the nation gardeners are observing different weather, different temperatures, and different bloom times for some of their favorite flowers. When the hummers come back from their winter homes in the spring, sometimes they miss out on the blooms of their favorite flowers, because the weather turned warm weeks early.

The researchers at the Audubon Society have noticed some changes, too. Some of their data is not just correct anymore; there seems to be a disconnect between the time of the hummingbirds' return and the flowers' bloom times.  And researchers are concerned.  So they have started a program, enlisting our help to share with them when you have a hummingbird sighting and where you are located (zip code).  This can be done via smartphone or PC with a new App you can take out into the garden with you. The app will provide you with pictures of different hummingbirds (so you know what kind you are looking at) as well as pictures of plants you are likely to be seeing them drinking nectar from.

You have a chance to share your sightings and help researchers learn more about what's going on with these hummingbirds that grace our gardens with their flying acrobatics and delight us with their antics!

For more info on getting involved, visit: http://www.hummingbirdsathome.org/

From My Mat - a Hot July Day

I do a downward dog pose and feel a gentle breeze on my neck. The wind chimes sing their song, made of notes rich and whimsical, in a pattern that matches the wind. Birds chirp sweetly along with the chimes. Way above me, a small airplane flies lazily by, its motor speaking of Summertime as it cruises through the sky. A group of black birds fly over with a noisy "Kah Kah" on their way to a tall pine tree. Then, there is the whirring hummingbirds at their feeder. I am out of my yoga pose by now. One hummingbird flies right in front of me as I lie here on my yoga mat! He is young and skinny and wants me to get off my mat and feed him already! All right. I will. I retrieve the feeder, carry it inside, and fill it up nice and fresh for him on this hot July day.

Shadows move across my mat, as the wind blows the pine branches lightly above me. I am so fortunate to get this breeze today, and to have the shade of the pine tree on such a hot day. I wait to see the hummingbirds return to the feeder. I hear one now clucking from high up in a cottonwood tree, whose thin branches are swaying in the breeze, leaves rustling. The only other sound is my dog's heavy breathing, sitting beside me here in the shade, with my wind chimes singing their song.

Container Gardening: Summer in Southern California is all about the Water

In Southern California rain is scarce, especially in the hot Summer months. So my thoughts turn to protecting favorite potted plants from too much hot sun and keeping them from drying out. Luckily for me, part of my Topanga Canyon patio enjoys the shade of a large California Oak tree. Every Summer, I move many of my potted plants under its canopy.

Another way I protect my plants is to use Sphagnum Moss as a mulch in the top of my pots. (Canna lilies w/sphagnum moss pic above) The moss works great at keeping moisture in and the soil cool. Plus, it looks pretty! Once I even had a tiny tree frog living in my moss :-)

Summer is time to think about the critters that need water, too. Birds, bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, squirrels.. everybody is thirsty! Birds need to drink and take baths. In Southern California, putting out water for the birds in Summer months is more important than seeds! Pictured above is a small bird bath that I created. I just used a bowl and smooth stones (making it bee friendly). In the center is a Sea Lion sculpture that I got on a trip to Carmel one Summer. My Mother and I had taken a drive up to that lovely town and found this at an outdoor art gallery/garden shop. It was part of a much larger fountain sculpture of an entire sea lion family... all spouting water!

The hummingbird feeder I keep filled, as there is less food for the hummers now that the wildflowers of Spring have stopped blooming. If you have room to plant Cape Honeysuckle, it will bloom all Summer and hummers love it. They also love Bouganvilla and that makes a wonderful privacy screen, as well.

Bees need food and water in the Summer, too. Did you know: they have to fly much greater distances in Summer than in Spring or Autumn to find blooms. One plant you can keep in a pot for them is: Lavender.

Hope your Summer finds you relaxing on your patio with your beautiful Summertime plants and blooms.

Gardeners Pick Their “Gold Medal” Favorites

Want to add beauty and wildlife value to your yard? Consider planting natives.

“Perfectly suited to the canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains, orange bush monkeyflower is a pretty, drought-tolerant native that always makes me smile when I run across it. A shy, unassuming plant with yellow-orange blossoms, it is a magnet for hummingbirds. In Southern California, monkeyflower's most common visitors are Anna’s hummingbirds and Allen’s hummingbirds. Also, it is a forage source for common checkerspot and buckeye butterflies. Monkeyflowers do well planted alongside buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), which brings in bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects to the yard or hillside. Monkeyflowers grow naturally on rocky cliffs, hillsides and borders of chaparral.”—Kathy Vilim of Topanga Canyon, California

Original story at NationalWildlifeFederationMagazine