Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Living Well - with the Carrie Connection

I've seen my first hummingbird of the season. It's time to get the feeders ready. The birds are fun to watch and good for the garden.

There is no doubt that the hummingbird will add grace and beauty to your garden, but the benefits don't stop there. These tiny feathered friends are also excellent at the task of pollinating many plants. As they flit from flower to flower in search of nectar, they coat their feathers with pollen and transport it along from blossom to blossom.

While flower nectar is the mainstay of the hummingbird diet. They also need a protein supplement which they get in the form of insects! Adults eat many plant pests including aphids, thrips and tiny flies or gnats. The diet of baby hummingbirds consists almost exclusively of insects.

To attract hummers into your garden you should plant plenty of their favorite nectar plants. Many of these plants have red, tubular flowers. Their absolute favorites include:

bee balm (Monarda didyma);

trumpet vine (Campsis radicans);

red penstemon (Penstemon barbatus); and

red trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens).

Hummingbirds even have a favorite vegetable, the scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus).

Give them a shallow watering hole to bathe in and plentiful resting perches in the form of trellises or bare twigs around their favorite plants. To encourage Mama hummers to nest in your garden, plant a few pussy willows nearby. They like to use the soft fur in the construction of their nests.

FLEAS!

Now is the time to address the problem of pets and fleas. Try to control the problem early, because once they start multiplyingthey are hard to stop.

Begin with your yard. Change the location of your doghouse or kennel. Clean the area regularly. Apply insecticides as needed. A hard floor in the kennel is better than a dirt floor, which can serve as a breeding ground for fleas.

Keep your dog or cat groomed. Use a flea and tick shampoo as soon as it's warm enough. Check with your vet for products that are highly effective against fleas.

In your home vacuum the carpet and furniture regularly. Dispose of the vacuum cleaner bag each time to lower the population numbers. Remember that they need organic materials to feed on, so the areas of your home that you eat in should be especially high on the list of areas to be cleaned.