Bird Watching: Daily Bird Pictures Vol. 461, 1 by nutsaboutnature

nutsaboutnature wrote:
Lovely pictures everyone!

Chilly ~ You might be in an area the migrating hummers don't pass through so there may not be too many around where you live. Even though I do have hummers, I don't have a huge number during spring and early summer. In late summer, though, as migration starts from the north, my hummer traffic picks up dramatically and they zoom all over the yard.

I do have lots of bees during the spring and summer, but very few butterflies (I keep hoping, though).

In terms of Flowers - of course they love tubular flowers, but one that seems to last forever once it blooms is Agastache. I have 'Blue Fortune', a common variety, and they visit so frequently, that it's one I've been able to get pics at. There are lots of other Agastaches as well.

Many DG members have raved about how much their hummers love Salvia 'Black and Blue'. It's not hardy in colder zones, but it's easily grown as an annual. I never got a chance to do any planting this year because I had hand surgery in May. Oh well, there's always next year.

I have Cardinal Flower and my hummers really love it. My first couple times failed, but I tried again and had success. I also leave the plants standing so they can reseed on their own. Finally after several years they're spreading with more plants popping up around the bed I have them in. They're now getting close to blooming.

Cardinal Flower does best in a shady area and likes water since they frequently grow along river banks. This spring and summer we've had a lot of rain which I think has helped because they look healthier than they ever have.

Chilly & Brenda ~ If you have a shady area it might be worth trying again. It's a beautiful native plant.

These pictures were from last autumn when the blooms were starting to fade.


This message was edited Jul 17, 2015 11:10 AM