Happy Monday!

 

 Sparkle and shine, friends!✨

Just for Fun: Bees vs. Hummingbirds

A sure sign that Fall is around the corner...

The autumnal battle for nectar has begun at Casa de Nenonen!

Hummingbirds have been spotted in St. Louis...

If you fill it, they will come...

I know that it is chilly outside, but it is time to clean and fill your feeders, St. Louis!  Sightings have happened in our area already, despite the inconsistent temperatures we have had this Spring...

Did you know that hummingbirds have the fastest metabolism of any animal on the planet, burning between 1-2x their body weight in food every day?  As a result, they feed constantly.  I am a huge proponent for making your own nectar.  Just make sure feeders are well cleaned (NO DETERGENT, just scrubbing with water) and changed regularly!

Hummingbird Nectar Recipe:

For 2 feeders, I boil 2 cups of water in a glass measuring cup. Add 1/4 cup of white sugar and stir until dissolved. A basic 4 to 1 ratio is key, no matter how much nectar you make. Let it sit on your counter top until 100% cool and then fill your feeders. I only add a drop of red dye in the beginning of the season until they spot and revisit the feeder. Then, I don't bother.  Change the nectar every 4-5 days. 

NOTE: it can take weeks to get a steady flow of birds to a feeder, so don't give up.

Just for fun: Sights of Spring

If you fill it, they will come...

A couple of years ago, both Reed and I coincidentally woke up MUCH earlier than the rest of the family. As the sun came up, we sat on the front porch side-by-side and took in the beauty of the sights and sounds of a warm summer morning.

Jammies and bare feet. A steamy mug of lemon zest tea in my hand. Mother Nature at work. Bees buzzing around the hydrangeas. Cardinals and blue jays eating from the bird feeder. Woodpeckers at work in the trees of our wooded common ground, echoing through the neighborhood. The neighbor's cat lounging lazily in the sun on the sidewalk. Poppy, while contemplating a chase, opting to lounge in the grass and soak in the sights and sounds herself instead.

Few thoughts or words exchanged, we both slipped into the daze of a beautiful and peaceful morning, until... Let's put it this way, it was hovering close enough to my face that the velocity of the wings was blowing my hair. Before we realized what was happening and before we managed to react... it was gone. Vanished.

We both sat there in disbelief. Silent. A little scared. A little excited. Truly in shock until Reed finally whispered "Whoaaa. Mama, did you SEE that?"

Since that random summer morning, I have had a minor obsession with hummingbirds.

2 years later, I have 2 super active feeders and enjoy the whimsy of the hummingbirds all summer long. I had always read that if you fill it, they will come. Entirely true.

One $5 feeder from Lowe's + a very simple nectar recipe...
=



A peek at one of my feeders:



Hummingbird Nectar Recipe:

For 2 feeders, I boil 2 cups of water in a glass measuring cup. Add 1/4 cup of white sugar and stir until dissolved. A basic 4 to 1 ratio is key, no matter how much nectar you make. Let it sit on your counter top until 100% cool and then fill your feeders. I personally don't add red dye as it is not necessary with a feeder that boasts red (they are drawn to red). Change the nectar every 5 days.

NOTE: it took almost 3 weeks to get a steady flow of birds to our feeder, so don't give up.