Can anyone tell me why Lanny only wants the male hummingbird sightings reported? I know the males are usually the ones that arrive first, but I hadn't noticed the disclaimer until this year. Is this something new?

kathy t.
shebly twp., MI
Zone 5/6

Hello Kathy,

Well, last year we reported our 1st hummer and Lanny didn't post it...and it was a male! There wasn't another sighting for one within 100 miles of us then...AND it happened to be the only hummer we had during the Spring!
Currently I'm not too thrilled with the way he seems to pick and choose which sightings go up on his map. I enjoy Journey North's better and have had many of my sightings recorded there...Robin, RW Blackbird, and our Backyard Habitat is there too...
This is the link to our our Backyard Habitat...
http://tinyurl.com/cjcmuz
1st RW Blackbird sighting...
http://tinyurl.com/c2ryw7
1st Robin sighting...
http://tinyurl.com/cuob4w




Susan Louise
from Branford CT/ live in Lincoln NE
Zone 5

Susan Louise,
very nicely done!

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Thank you Penny...

Susan Louise
from Branford CT/ live in Lincoln NE
Zone 5

Kathy
I think Lanny records the male because by the time the females start coming into an area there may be several and it would be hard to determine the first one spotted for that season. Using only the male reports makes it easier to be more accurate. It is still not the perfect method I am sure since we have no idea how many may actually be in a given area that we don't see.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Beautiful gardens and pictures, Susan Louise!

Carol R
Tennessee
USDA Hardiness Zone 7
Heat Zone 7

Thank you Carol...I'm glad you enjoyed them...

Susan Louise
from Branford CT/ live in Lincoln NE
Zone 5

Thanks for the info Penny. Susan Louise, your gardens are just beautiful. Can I come garden at your house???? I always love to see other people's gardens. Espcially now when I'm debating how to enlarge my borders. I hate using the diamond edging but without it all my mulch ends up in the grass. Is that brick you've used for your edges?

kathy t.
shebly twp., MI
Zone 5/6

Hello Kathy,

Sure, come on over!!!
The paver stones around the patio I put in place myself...they were only about 5 lbs each. But the paver stones around the other 2 gardens were about 15-20 lbs each. I had outlined the area I wanted to have the paver stones put with stakes and twine and the local nursery charged us about $150 for labor laying them out for me. If I was younger with 2 lungs and not just one, I would have easily have done that myself. DH would have done it, but for $150, DH said that was a bargain for saving his back!
The nursery dropped off a few barrels full of river rock on our concrete patio and I scooped them up as added them in the garden areas as I planted the plants. The stones were about $2 each for the patio and a bit more than $3 each for the ones around the other 2 gardens. Although on the expensive side, they will last forever and it keeps the soil and compost in the designated areas...which is good when we get those flooding rains from the T-storms.
I also bought paver stones at Menards for $.67 each for the walkways within the garden...which are a huge help when weeding, pruning and deheading without stepping all over the plants. I was soooooooooo glad I spent the extra time and labor putting those in!!!


Susan Louise
from Branford CT/ live in Lincoln NE
Zone 5