So sad. I can make it through football season, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, but oh those lonely months of January, Feburary. Then in March the watching begins again.

Mimidi, aren't you in southern Alabama? They've told me that we have some species that overwinter here in south Louisiana...I would have thought the same was true for southern Alabama?

I've heard/read that we can get all 11 north American species here in Louisiana, so I'm hopeful I'll see a variety. I have no idea when to expect them though! Is now to early? So many of the females seem to look alike (according to the field guides) that I am going to have to pay closer attention and not just assume every little bird I see is a ruby-throat.

--Jane in BR,LA

Mimi - you can get some information about wintering hummingbirds in Alabama. If you ping "Christmas Bird Counts" you'll find an Audubon site. By playing around with the site a little you'll be able to access the results for Alabama CBCs covering many years by count circle. This might be under something call "this year's results". You can select different years and see what was found. There is decades of information available. For anyone who is interested in birds its is a fount of information.

Oh, I'm not sad at all, this part of the season is the time when I actually see the most hummers and I'm ready for them. Have some good late summer and fall bloomers and feeders ready. It's short but heaven for me.
Just so ya know "(with acquired midwest accent)" I'm still braggin' 'bout my little lady that hung around all summmer. I think it might be the addition of some annual flowers including gartenmeister fushia and the candy corn vine.
Basically, over the years I've been "into" perennial and native flowers and just this year splurged at the garden center on those two annuals on the backyard patio.
One funny comment about the candy corn vine, -- I had a teenager ask if you can pluck them off and eat 'em! Go figure? VAL

Glad yours is blooming mine sure isn't. But I think that beebalm cardinal flower native delphinium exhaltum and salvia greggii are the hummers favorite here Also if I remember correctly you said the hummers love turtleshead and I finally saw one today at the turtleshead from an upstairs window because it's blocked by Agastache scrophulariifolia giant purple hyssop Sarah

OH Sarah,
I can't believe that your candy corn isn't blooming. Mine has little blooms all over the place. My one little hummer actually can perch on various parts of the contraption that I made for it to climb on and reach all the flowers so she isn't wasting excess energy hovering. My hummers aren't using the bee balm as much now. They are going after all the salvias agastaches, cuphea,fuschia and starting on the jewelweed now that is is coming into its own.

Penny

Delphinium exhaltum. I managed to kill one a couple of years ago, and was wondering if it was worth trying again. What are the details on this plant - conditions it likes, bloom period etc. It it worth adding to a hummingbird display garden?

Penny and Valerie I am very envious! Mine is very lush and green but probably wants a larger pot! They do love the cigar plant and shrimp plant too. But since the cardinal flowers are still in bloom they seem to like that as well as the trumpet vine.

Ward as far as delphinium exhaltum goes They love it as much as the cardinal flower maybe even more.This is the first time one ever survived this long. I have killed plenty of them too. Maybe because I planted this one in a different section of the garden it survived So if you want to give it a try the hummers will love it

Well Sarah my cardinal flowers have yet to bloom. So right back atcha LOL! My great blue lobelia looks as though it is getting close to a bloom but the cardinalis isn't doing much this year but surviving. It could be the heat I suppose even though I have kept it very very moist. I had divided it in early spring so that could have delayed it some also although the part that I didn't dig up hasn't bloomed yet either. A lot of my plants seems to be out of whack this year as far as blooming goes. Jewelweed is blooming like crazy right now and I think it got into full bloom later last year. Mums are blooming too and that is early for them.

Penny

Hi Everyone!

At this very moment I have a little girl hummingbird at the feeder taking a nice long drink. :) I'm not looking forward to them leaving, but I know it is best for them. I wish I lived in a place where I could see them all year long. They usually leave my house around the first or second week of September. I love hummingbirds so much, I told my husband I wanted the hummingbird ring from Black Hills gold for my wedding band! It truly is a pretty ring! :)

Glad you still have hummers catnapper.

Penny cardinal flower is strange In 2001 it bloomed like crazy. 2002 not so good I had a few but not as much as 2001 In 2003 just one or two and one of the two were white. Then last summer it took off and took over my garden and this year although it got a late start and was being destroyed by japanese beetles and some rust or mildew it still kept blooming It seems the prettier ones are blooming now with a darker and shinier green leaf and the white one is back again it skipped a year. Every morning when I go outside the japanese beetles are stacked so high that some of my cardinal flowers looked like "metallic flower" So I don't expect as good a season next year.My jewelweed was barely surviving but last night it poured and they recovered but no blooms yet. You should try delphinium exhaltum it's not as pretty as the cultivars but I bet it would bloom better for you Sarah

Yes Jane I am in southern Alabama but not on the coast. After reading your and Ward's post. I might need to reconsider keeping a feeder out through the winter. Will also do some checking on the site Ward gave.

I think it would be wonderful to have a hummingbird around through the winter.

Sorry but I really don't like to post when something I put here might be used as an advertisment for something that I don't approve of.

I think that the cardinal flowers like more moisture that we've had this summer. I have a few blooming but not as many as last year. It had been SO dry here this summer, my garden has only survived because of the the daily hand watering. Finally today we are getting some rain and I've seen a few of those migrating hummers already this morning.
Question! What should I do with that candy corn vine this fall? Would it overwinter? I do plan on overwintering the potted red hibiscus tree and the gardenmeister fushia. What should I do with the candy corn vine? That thing has grown into a monster with lot's of flowers and strong vines arching this way and that. It's huge and might need a room of it's own. Any ideas? VAL

Bring it indoors that's what I think I am going to do even though it hasn't bloomed since I last repotted it. Sarah

Val,
I agree with Sarah. I will be bringing my candy corn vine inside for the wintera.Mine must be about 4ft tall right now too and it probably needs to be repotted but I honestly don't know how I will repot it because of its size. I will try and get a picture of the contraption that I contrived for it to climb on.
Sarah,
My great blue lobelia that I grew from seed this year looks like it just may bloom this year. I have one patch that I planted out early that has grown beautifully and 2 more that I planted out late but are still growing and healthy but I don't expect them to bloom this year. I really thought the cardinalis would have bloomed by now but maybe because I divided it this year I stopped the bloom. The japanese beetles haven't bothered the lobelias at all. They are enjoying the other plants too much. It has been very hot and dry here too and some days I have spent the better part of the day hand watering. My jewelweed has also been struggling even with all the water I have been giving it but it is blooming like crazy in some areas now. We were supposed to get rain last night and I am still waiting. At least the past two days have cooled down into the mid 80's so that is helping a little bit. Oh Lord that sounds so funny but here in western NY we seldom go above the mid 80's. This is the first summer since I have been living up here that we have had this hot and dry of a summer.

Those japanese beetles have been all over my bat faced cuphea and cannas and purple coneflowers and scarlet runner beans. I finally gave up on everything but the cuphea and I am out there several times a day knocking them into my soap bucket. The cannas and scarlet runner beans just got way too big to be able to get them all and the coneflowers had a lot of bees on them but I know between those four plants along I dumped 200 to 300 of those nasty things in the soap bucket.

Penny

Fall migration is definately underway. Things have really picked up this week at my home and four extra feeders have been hung to take away some of the stress -- however, there is still a lot of fighting going on. I will add a couple of more feeders today.

This summer has really been a learning experience for me with all the new plants I've tried. Many, many thanks (again) to Penny and Sarah and all the other forum members who are so helpful. I hope to add to my garden next year, and have a better idea of what works here and what doesn't.

Hopefully next summer will not be as brutal as this one has been. We have only had 3 1/2 inches of rain since April (and only 1/8 inch in the last four weeks). It has been a struggle to keep anything alive. I put in some sod last summer and quite a few shrubs last fall, so I have spent the best part of two days each week running sprinklers and soaker hoses from sunup to sundown (challenging with a full-time job). Today it supposed to be 100 degrees again, but the weather forecast says we will be getting some cooler temps next week. I pray they are correct -- these 100 degree days have really put a lot of stress on the A/C.

Oubliette,
I know how you feel. We actually got a sprinkling for about an hour this morning around 6. Not enough to water everything well but at least I don't have to run out before sun up and turn the sprinkler on everything. Might get another sprinkle or two later on so I am hopeful.

My hummerz seem to be hitting the feederz now pretty heavily maybe even more than the flowers so I know that migration is getting all too close. They drained the one 16 ounce feedr which is in heavy shade under the eaves of the front porch by evening after I had filled it half way (8 oz.) yesterday at mid morning. Today I went and filled it all the way up to insure they would have enough nectr for the whole day. I have 5 other feederz up that they also use so consuming 8 ounces in one day from one feedr is a lot for me. I am really enjoying all the increased activity but I am sure not looking forward to their departure :(

Disclaimer:I do not agree with nor endorse the use of "Sponsored Links" possibly embedded in my posts by the owner of this or any other website and would never purchase anything from any advertiser that used this deceptive type of advertising.

Penny

Sara's post about cardinal flower growing and blooming like crazy in the summer of 2004 tell you everything you need to know. If memory serves me correct it rained that summer nearly every day and temperatures almost never reached 90 degrees. In my sandy soil the plant has never grown well, if fact, hardly at all. So I have to content myself driving past patches growing in standing water. Happy cardinal flower is extrordinary, when it is unhappy, well...

Ward,
I have added quite a bit of compost and peat moss to the area where my Great Blue Lobelia is growing and it is doing supurbly. When I transplanted one of my Cardinalis I did the same thing to the soil where I planted it. It is also doing much better. I am thinking that since I transplanted them late that may have delayed or cancelled out the blooming for this year but I will wait and see. You are right, we did have more rain than sun last summer and the summer before that as well.

Disclaimer:I do not agree with nor endorse the use of "Sponsored Links" possibly embedded in my posts by the owner of this or any other website and would never purchase anything from any advertiser that used this deceptive type of advertising.

Penny

Wow -- 8 ounces in less than a day! You do have a lot of hummers! And with all the flowers to dine on, to boot! Hope DH is doing well and will get that cast off soon.

Oubliette, I know that must seem so trivial to Frank and a few others who have their seasonal hordes of hummiebabies LOL! I have actually been able to notice the nectar going down in that particular feeder this morning. There were 4 visitors to that feeder this morning between 6:20 and 6:30 and it hasn't slowed down much since. The only thing I like about that particular feeder is the fact the the nectar level is very visible but it does attract the honey bees.It is already below the halfway mark so I figure it will be empty or close to it by this evening.

Hubby is doing better. FInally got his cast off on Friday and doc told him to start walking on his own. Will wait a month to see how he does before considering therapy.

Penny

The flurry has slowed down at my house. I haven't seen a male in almost a week. The dominant male that so diligently guarded "his area" for 3 weeks is definitely gone. Sooooo sad. I'm only seeing 2 or 3 females right now. They are more interested in the "natural" stuff than the home brew.
Plus a wassp has set up camp at the favored feeter, and is chasing away the HBs. The mimosass and trumpett viines have stopped and I predicted an exodus when that happened.

I think I'm learning a new language. LOL!!! Linda

Linda
Try wiping around the top of the feedr with a cotton ball soaked in vinegar. Just don't put it near the ports so that none drips into the sweet stuff and turns the hummmies away. They can't smell it but the beez, waps and yello coats can.

P.S. i am finally able to mispell words without feeling guilty and not have to proofread!!!

Penny

The vinegar works for awhile but once it dries it didn't help as much so I put some on a small cotton ball and held it in place on the underside of the feeder with a bandaid and that works longer.

Penny

It might sound self serving...but it helps to know that others go through the same withdrawl that we are beginnig to go through...our hummingbird population has dwindled in the last several days and we sure do miss the swarms already! I almost dread the day when it is time to shut the front door to cold, wet, rainy, snowy, icy, etc. weather...but fall and winter brings a whole new world to enjoy...what the hey...at least it keeps on keeping! By the way, the old man is wondering...what is the old wives tale about crickets coming in the house in the fall and predictions of winter weather? Anybody out there know?

Maryjk, my favorite season used to be fall, and weatherwise it still is. Since I became a HB addict, the only REAL season is hummmmer season. It's over with the last HB and doesn't start again till the first sighting next year. The wait in-between is toooo long!!

BTW, I don't know about the wive's tale. I just thought the crickets come in the house to sing to me. LOL! Linda

I have to agree with Linda. There is only one season...hummertime. I actually hibernate here in upstate NY until the weather warms up. I hate cold, ice and snow and we get enough here for the whole country.

I am familiar with the cricket 'theory' but can't remember how it goes.....sorry

Penny

Today is the first chilly morning where I could see my breath for the first time. Hummers are visiting my garden and feeders daily. Spotted two or three at a time, males and females chasing each other away. Now my garden will only have flowers for a few more weeks, maybe six if the first hard frost is late or fewer if that comes earlier. Time for dividing and planting a few more flowers for next summer. This is a good growing time, cool nights and warm summer days. VAL

It was about 65 here this a.m. and my hummies were out and about early. I was thinking the same thing...soon all the flowrs will be done and all our jewels will be gone :-Penny

I saw my last one for the season a week and a half ago in my yard. Haven't had any others since. We took a trip this past weekend to Rocky Mountain National Park (about 1.5 hrs. away) where there is usually tons of hb's. We stayed in a cabin that had a hb feeder out front and we only saw a few stragglers the whole weekend. So they are out of here.....I know they have to go, but it is very sad!

Some of you guys are in areas that get colder sooner than here in Missouri so it is pretty interesting that ours seem to be leaving about the same time. Today was the first day in a very long time that we did not have to reload all three feeders by the end of the day...and only saw one mature male yesterday...We call him the "General" cause he sure has been extremely bossy with the younger ones still here! You know, these birds may have the right idea...going way south for the winter...what a deal...I don't see them hauling fire wood to the stove all winter! Anyways, I am watching for all the local stores to put feeders on sale this fall...my birds will have a smorgasbord of feeders next spring. And as far as the crickets go...we will just have to assume that their songs are for us and enjoy! Kind of like the peepers in the spring, another phase of nature. Our cats got a couple of crickets in the house but they are farm cats and we don't want to stifle their hard working ethics.

hi everyone! i have been a hummingbird fanatic for some time now but never had many visitors.=) this year i have had my little baby girl(my hummie)for almost a month and today was so funny. my husband was helping me fill the feeder's and she came up to the window looking in like she was asking "ok where did it go" and i told my husband she was in the other window.he grabbed one of the feeders and held it into his hand and she came right up and drank out of it while he was holding it..im so mad at him he got the chance to do that and i didnt lol.anyways i have seen 3 different hummers just tonight and the most i have ever had has been 2.i just love my little babies!! i bet tomorrow i have a feeder in my hand i hope she will give me the same chance. they are just like little angels.. i just wanted to share with everyone it made my day i'll tell you that!!

i feed 2 gallon a day--i have 10 feeders that i refill daily, i live on a farm, with lots of pine and cedars that i understand they like to nest in-and LOTS of flowers. my hummingbirds number in the HUNDREDS!!i know noone will believe it--wish i could post pictures-but my family avoids my decks at feeding time!but then, i have feed them for over 20 years--and i, too, have hummingbird withdrawal--

I feel badly that everyone will loose their hummers soon. I am in "hummer heaven" myself. I have 5 feeders up and one particular one is getting all the activity. A 32-oz. perky pet. I have to refill it every day. Another 32-ouncer nearby empties in 1-1/2 days. The others are "hogged" and protected by my resident Anna's male (aka: the bully).

The activity is wonderful--I am in awe of all the little ones zipping around, buzzing, and challenging one another. I even have more than one Rufous--now THAT"s HEAVEN!!