Maria, thanks for the title " Queen" but how am I ever going to top this ? I wish I could get more to sit on my hand at one time but they only get so close to each other...have to think about it.
Have you seen the baby great horned owls that I have ? really cute, I'll have to check up on them tomorrow.
Maybe if we get a fake one and put it on Becky's feeder...or how about hummingbird calls ? Becky, have you tried that ?
a few already shared pics- hummers in my hand!
Sandra - I don't think the hummers would be fooled by a fake bird! LOL! BUT .....Do you think they make audio cds of Hummingbird chirps and mating calls???? LOL! I'd buy it for sure! I'd put the cd player on the screen porch and play the hummer cd all day long! LOL!
Maria - Who is supplying the Luna Moth cats? Do you already have them in your yard or is the B&M of NA folks sending you cats? That's really neat that they have responded to your report and are interested in having you raise some!
Becky, yes the B&M of NA will be sending the cats, or better yet, their regional coordinator will be sending them. Now I am looking for a “bug house” to keep them in. But how cool is your moth! Why do you need hummers. LOL. Betterbloom, check out Becky’s pic of a hummingbird MOTH. http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=3427164 How cool is that?!
Maria, for some reason i can't get that picture..is it the brown & pink one, or that pretty fuzzy looking one..where is this pic ?
Becky, I have a suggestion (okay, a crazy one) You can hang a hummingbird feeder outside your window. Then play some hummingbird sounds thru your computer. If your window is open and your computer is loud enough maybe a hummingbird will hear it and come into your yard.
They also sell something that plays all kinds of different bird songs..but it cost $100. so I say try the computer. I play owl sounds on mine and it drives my cats nuts.
Betterbloom, you are funny!! I have to try that with my cats (as in kitties not caterpillars). LOL. Here is the link to that thread: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/712541/ If you can't get to it, you can find it under Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden Forum, Thread At My Feeder Today.
Oh, that one..I had one like that in my yard until I pulled out my tunias out, then it never came back. There is another one that is almost prettier than a hummer. Can't remember what it's called.
Here Beckaroo, http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Ruby-throated_Hummingbird.html#sound
http://www.all-birds.com/Sound/Ruby-throated%20Hummingbird.wav
http://www.all-birds.com/Sound/rubythroat1m.au
http://www.all-birds.com/Hummingbirds.htm
Sandra~ Boy that was so sweet of you to write on your arm with sharpie just for Becky....I know they are coming now! What a true friend!!!
Becky the map says they are all over the place in FL.... Just a matter of time, you will get them. Do you have any Fushcia? I am hearing it is a humdinger of a draw for hummies. I bought a bute at WM last week and hung it in my feeder tree station. Guess what...
Still no hummers at my house either, but Maureen said they are around here and she was surprised. I think once the babies are out of the nests the new ones will find me again. Hopefully sooner than last year. They will have to enlarge their territory at some point, and will come to us who are ready and waiting for them. Hang in there sistah! Maybe today...:-).
Maria that's so cool they come to the old feeder..What a pretty one that is too.. Very adorable pic!!
:-)
I'm expecting another one of these next wednesday, (a white with red centers), hung this one in the hum-feeding station> Still waiting too...
Hi Debnes, Fuchsia do not grow well in FL, or at least in Northeast FL. I had 30+ in 2005 and only one is still alive. The heat & humidity got to them although they were in the shade. I heard that they attract hummers and my remaining Fuchsia is in full bloom now, but the hummers seem to prefer the feeder and I have not seen any at the Fuchsia.
Thanks Maria~ I guess they like your nectar better.. You must whip up a mean batch! Will report when they come what happens with my Fuchsia.. Till then I love the blooms all for myself, :-)
Deb
Deb, your Fuchsias are beautiful! At least my sole survivor really took off this year (until the heat gets in full gear). Yeah, I put a little brandy in my nectar to see the hummers spin some more...Just kidding :0)
Well if we see your hummers flying upside down we're going to know you were not kidding ! Yes, Deb, your fuchsias are very pretty....wouldn't survive in my yard a day.
Deb - THANKS for those websites with the hummer songs and flight sounds! I tell ya, the Sphinx Moth flight sounds very similar! No kidding! I can see how folks mistake them for hummers by sound and movement. Unfortunately, my computer is NOT near any windows or doors. But ya never know, I might still be able to figure out a way to pipe the sound out to my backyard!
I do have those 2 small Fushcia bushes that I bought from Lowes. They are doing good in my yard so far and have gotten considerably bigger. They get about 3' tall by 3' wide at full size. Mine are both still blooming like crazy! Here's the photo I took after I first bought them. They are really pretty and look like hummers would swarm to them! (I can only hope!) The plant in front of the Fushcia is the Black and Blue Salvia which is supposed to be another hummer favorite.
I've got so many hummer nectar flowers in my yard. If the hummers ever do find my yard, they will probably set up house and stay year round. (Which many of them do here in Florida!) I should be so lucky!
Hey Becky, here is my surviving Fuchsia in its full glory. It is actually about 3'x3' and still growing. Well, at least I now have three rooted cuttings. However, I am so hesitant about putting them outdoors to face their demise, LOL.
Those are great photos! Love the one directing the hummie to Becky's place :o) Too funny!
I've done that before with my recycled insulin bottle hummingbird feeders - just didn't like the "sprinkles" from flying hummies :o) It truly is amazing how quickly they'll find a feeder. I hung a new feeder from the grapefruit tree and the dominant female found it within 20 seconds. :o)
Thanks for sharing those lovely photos!
~ Cat
Now that the flowers have been tilled down in the garden, they are loving the plants around the house and also using the feeders....I can never get my camera fast enough to go outside (screens on the windows....yuk!!!)
Maria - Wow! Nice Fuchsia bush!!! It doesn't look like mine, though. I wonder if mine is a true Fuchsia. You know how the Growers and Chain Stores can be when it comes to mis-labeling plants. Does anyone know if mine is a true Fuchsia or something else?
I sure hope the summer heat doesn't kill my plants. I am putting in more small shade trees, vines, and bushes. I hope it helps protect my tender plants from the baking sun.
Yes, Becky, it looks like you have a true Fuchsia; they come in hundreds of different flower shapes, colors, and sizes and often with complicated names. But the flowers usually give them away and yours do look right. You may have better luck growing yours in your zone.
Oh, look at my shiny new hummingbird feeder. Do you see all the activity? No? Exactly. They must all be at the Fuchsia. :) Or did they already move your way, Becky?
Maria - Thanks for identifying my Fuchsia as a true cultivar. I had never seen the bush type before that I have in my yard now. I have seen the Fuchsia that you have from time to time, but not what I bought from Lowes. I am in a much warmer zone than you. They get morning sun and late afternoon shade. I don't know if the bushes will make it in my zone 9b/10a this summer. I may be planting Privet Cassia in many of my beds this year just to give the tender ground plants some dappled shade. That would certainly bring in more Sulphur butterflies, too! LOL
Are your hummers seasonal? I have heard from many folks that they are here year round in southern Florida. I am considered right on the border of central and south east coast of Florida. Don't know if that is true. But I do know another member here on DG had them over the summer and she is just 15-20 miles directly south of me. Everyone has been seeing them since winter here in my area. Since I don't get them, I can't tell for sure if they DO live here year round.
Not that I would want them to leave your house, but I would certainly welcome yours here in my yard! :-) :-) :-)
This thread is a wonderment! Thanks for posting the pics! Lots of fun!
Another idea for attracting the hummers is to put a red ribbon or fabric out near your feeders.
Supposedly the HBs can spy ultraviolet colors well and the yellow/green or pink/red 'caution tape' from the hardware store. I don't know about the last idea--I just read that somewhere on the internet.
No hummers here yet.
Becky, I usually see hummers only for a few weeks in April. I think they breed here and then migrate north. I have not seen a hummer all day, but at least my tiger made up for it. ;) Here is a ruby-throat hummer migration map: http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html
Maria - Awwwwwwwwwwwwww how cute your kitty is!!! :-) (A photo of my cat is towards the bottom of this thread: http://davesgarden.com/forums/p.php?pid=3339449)
Thanks for the info about the hummers in Florida. I have heard that "south" Florida has the ruby throat hummers year round. I don't know if I my area is considered south or central Florida.
Becky, be patient . It's gonna take awhile for those little birdies to get from Ca to your house. They have to stop at every feeder along the way, but they're coming.
What a cute kitty...is she/he a butterfly tabby ?
AAAAHHH, Becky, Lucky is handsome!
LOL Betterbloom! Please note the contact lenses to match the tag, hehe.
Sandra - I shall be expecting some new little visitors from California soon! LOL!
Hi Everyone! My Luna eggs just arrived! Now I need a whole bunch of sauce cups like the ones in the picture. Any ideas where I could get those? Thanks!
Maria - Try your local recycle company. We have one here and I am always surprised what they have! And it's usually free or very, very cheap to purchase items.
Maria - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
Try your local recycle company. We have one here and I am always surprised what they have! And it's usually free or very, very cheap to purchase items.
Congrats Maria...vey exciting!
Thanks! I am starting to feel all motherly. LOL
ah, how sweet !
Maria, try the gladware cups and lid containers at walmart, in the foil and plastic wrap section. I use these for african violet watering cups. They come in a boxed package set of four or six. I can't remember exactly.
Deborah
Thanks Deborah. I already ordered 5.5 oz soufflé cups with lids online. Now, if the eggs would hatch already! :) Instructions stated it could take from three days to one month. Sigh
Maria
The first four cats hatched today and the cups arrived about one hour later this morning! If you are interested, I will start a new thread called Lunar Moth from Egg to Moth to document the development. Hope they make it :)