PICAYUNE —
To watch a hummingbird in flight is absolutely mesmerizing. They are like highly entertaining little helicopters, hovering, flying backwards, and making rapid darting movements as they feed. Their “humming” noise is actually made by the rapid movement of their wings, at 50 to 200 beats per second.
Hummingbirds are migratory birds are unique to the Americas, spending their winters in South and Central America. They leave North American before the arrival of cold weather, and return in spring. According to The Hummer Bird Study Group, 15 species of hummingbirds have been found to breed in the United States, with another 6 species being classified as “vagrants”.
Hummingbirds measure about two inches long and weigh about as much as a penny. Species such as the ruby-throated hummingbird have throat feathers containing air bubbles that give off an iridescence in light. They construct nests that are about the size of a walnut, and are very difficult to spot, composed of materials like spider webs, fluffy seeds, lichens, and moss. Typically, the females lay two eggs, which take about 3 weeks to hatch. About 4 weeks after emerging, the baby hummingbirds are mature enough to leave their nest.
Incredible quantities of energy are needed to support hummingbirds’ activities. Young hummers are fed insects by their parents. As the young hummers mature, they feed increasingly on flower nectar, although adults still occasionally will feast on insects. If your intent is to create a garden or yard that will provide an environment to support hummingbirds, it is wise to employ organic gardening methods, avoiding the use of pesticides that can in turn be harmful to birds munching on the insects.
Hummingbirds will return to Mississippi in March, when our native azaleas and red buckeyes are blooming. Plants with blooms that are red, orange or pink tend to attract hummers. To draw hummers to your own garden, use a variety of plants such as these native species: Coral honeysuckle, cross vine, trumpet creeper, blazing star (Liatris), coral bean, butterfly weed, red star hibiscus, cardinal flower, and cypress vine. Hummingbirds pollinate many plants through their feeding, and they have long, needle-like tube shaped beaks and narrow half-inch long tongues that allow them to reach deep into flowers for nectar.
In addition to plant species that attract hummingbirds, you may wish to use hummingbird feeders around your yard. However, it is important to make the commitment to keeping your feeders clean to promote hummer health. As hummingbirds can be very territorial about feeders, place them a minimum of 10 feet apart. Keep them away from areas of strong sunlight that can heat up the solution and promote harmful bacterial growth. Avoid areas where water can drip into the feeder tubes.
You can easily make your own feeder solution by combining sugar and water at a ratio of one part granulated white cane sugar to four parts water. Boil the mixture and allow it to cool before filling your feeder. It is not necessary to add red food coloring, as the birds will be attracted to the red color that is a signature of a hummingbird feeder. Don’t be tempted to use sugar at higher concentrations, or add honey or sugar substitutes to the mixture, as these can be harmful or fatal to hummers. It is critical to keep the solution fresh, changing it every three to five days, and cleaning your feeder thoroughly. To clean, use white vinegar, not soap or chlorine bleach.
Search the E-Answers website at http://e-answers.adec.edu for publications and research produced by state Extension Services, to learn more about hummers and other home gardening topics. See www.MSUcares.com website to download “Attracting Hummingbirds to Mississippi Gardens”, by Robert Brzuszek, and “Mississippi Recreational Gardens: Establishing a Backyard Wildlife Habitat”, MSU Extension Publication 2402 by Dr. Lelia Kelly, Robert Brzuszek, and Adam Tullos, for information specific to attracting hummingbirds and other wildlife species to Mississippi gardens.
For more information see: www.crosbyarboretum.msstate.edu or see our Facebook page for more information on our site and activities. The Arboretum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located in Picayune, off I-59 Exit 4, at 370 Ridge Road (south of Wal-Mart and adjacent to I-59.)
For further exploration: 1) Those who want to learn more about hummingbirds may wish to join The Hummer Bird Study Group, whose mission is “dedicated to the study and preservation of hummingbirds and other Neo-tropical migrants (songbirds).” Visit the HBSG website at www.hummingbirdsplus.org for more information about membership, as well as on hummers, including feeder care, plant lists, books, and much more. The site also lists who to contact when sighting particular species of hummingbirds, such as ruby-throats that may be lingering in the area after November 15.
Lifestyles
ARBORETUM PATHS: September brings hummingbird migrations
- Lifestyles
-
-
Tami Harris takes state
Local business owner and community volunteer Tami Harris has won the coveted title of 2012 Greater Federation of Women’s Clubs-Mississippi Federation of Women's Clubs (MFWC) Club Woman of the Year for the state of Mississippi. A member of the Civic Woman’s Club of Picayune, Harris is one of only three club members, along with Darlene Adams and Leslie Lincoln, to take the state title.
-
Arboretum Paths
Last week, students participating in the 2013 Mississippi Master Naturalist Program visited the Crosby Arboretum for an all-day training. The session was part of 40 hours of field and classroom instruction they will receive, educating them about natural resource management and environmental stewardship, and is a part of their preparation to become Certified Mississippi Master Naturalists.
- Chamber Ribbon Cutting Children's International Medical Group held a grand opening and Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting at their first Mississippi location, located in Picayune.
-
Historic City Hall Dedication Friday
Friday, May 3 at 10 a.m. the New City Hall will be dedicated on Goodyear Boulevard. This event will coincide with the 75th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Old Historic City Hall building.
- PRC Community Band presents: An American Legacy The Pearl River County Community Band, under the direction of Johnny Baker, will present “An American Legacy: An afternoon of American music for concert bands,” on Sunday, May 5, at 2 p.m. at the Picayune Memorial High School Auditorium.
-
Arboretum Paths
On their recent tour, fifth grade students from Lamar Christian School in Purvis encountered a seemingly endless variety of wildlife, ranging from crawfish to inchworms, to writhing masses of spiny, newly-emerged caterpillars. There is no such thing as a “typical” walk around the Arboretum’s Pond Journey and Pitcher Plant Bog. Every venture reveals something new to every group of visitors.
-
Beebe returns to Main Street
“I was excited when the Picayune Main Street, Inc. Board of Directors asked me to return as manager to the local Main Street program. Also, extremely grateful to Picayune City Manager Jim Luke, Mayor Ed Pinero and city council for their blessings and approval to relocate our office,” says Beebe. “One of my favorite sayings is ‘There is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer.’ I have to say, I had a blast working on committees, projects and events with the most dedicated staff and group of volunteers in Pearl River County from March 2005 to May 2010. I look forward to getting new committees in place and working with ‘seasoned’ volunteers as well as new volunteers who share the same passion and desire to keep Picayune moving forward.”
-
15th Annual Rotary Fishing Rodeo held in McNeill
“We are all fortunate to play a small part in the joy we see in their faces when they get a bite on their line and see the fish they catch. My wife, Sharon, and I hosted it last year on our anniversary and we would not have had it any other way. It was a perfect day.”
— Rotarian Tony Paternostro -
Picayune Main Street relocates to Intermodal
Picayune Main Street, Inc. has relocated to the Intermodal Transportation and Tourism Center at 200 Hwy 11 South. With the change in location the organization is also shifting focus back to the four points of the Main Street Approach according to President Bill Edwards.
- Gun law program presented at libraryBy Jodi Marze The Friends of the Library Lock and Load program, held last Sunday at Crosby Memorial Library, was standing room only as citizens gathered to receive information in areas of self defense and looked to navigate the concealed carry laws versus open carry laws.
- More Lifestyles Headlines
-
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
Raw: School Bus Crash Injures Five Children
Quick Response Saved Baby on Phila. Train Tracks
One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh
