We want to thank everyone for your wonderful suggestions for the best native plants for hummingbirds when you so kindly responded to a recent message that we posted to The Forum. For those of you who have no idea or recollection of what I'm talking about, we are giving a Hummingbird Gardening program for a group called the Wild Ones and we can only discuss hummingbird plants that are native to Wisconsin (that means no Salvia guarantica, Cuphea, Canna, etc.) Luckily, they will allow us to discuss feeders.

Some very nice hummingbird friends (they garden with mostly exotic plants, interestingly) got us hooked up with this group and until now, we have only talked with them. This weekend the organizer of the group (who is also the author of a book about topic of landscaping with native plants) called me and we had a long discussion about the pros and cons of using only native plants for hummingbirds. She was absolutely clueless about the problem of very few native plants being in bloom in late August and early September when everyone has the most migrants. In her prior home, which was in the City of Milwaukee, she had no hummingbirds when landscaping with only native plants and currently she lives in a more rural area where she does have some hummingbirds in a native plant setting.

The focus of our program (which we have been doing for about 12 years now) has always been to empower anyone to attract hummingbirds, no matter what their location is (even if they live in an apartment or condominium.) Of course, we advocate for responsible use of plants that are not native, organic gardening, use of native plants as much as possible, etc.

One of the points that this program organizer kept bringing up is that native plants for hummingbirds contain more nectar than non-native plants. Trumpet Creeper has a lot of nectar, but we all know that it isn't the most feasible or easiest planting for some people. This lady has obviously never gardened with Salvia guarantica or Canna indica. Of course, we all know that plants that are native to your area can be much easier to care for, are more tolerant of weather and soil conditions, require less water, etc., and many factors can affect nectar production in a plant (cold weather, hot weather, rain, etc.), but I am not sure if I agree with her on this point. Of course we also know that many cultivated hybrids have the little nectar because the propagator wants it that way, but we are not really discussing those types of plants here. What are your thoughts about this issue? I know that somewhere on The Forum Nancy or someone else has indicated the amounts of nectar in salvias, but I'm not sure if amounts of nectar in certain other plants native to the Upper Midwest have ever been measured or not as a comparison.

I have put a lot of time into revising our printed handout materials for this program about landscaping with native plants for hummingbirds. If anyone would like to receive those materials by e-mail, you can e-mail me privately and I'll be happy to send them to you.

Thank you so much for your continued help with this challenging program. We will be quite relieved when it's over.




Kathi and Michael Rock
Madison, Wisconsin
Zone 4/5

Kathi
Lord knows I am not an expert in the field of nectar production of natives but I don't agree with the program organizer that natives contain more nectar and as you stated there just aren't enough good nectar plants available in the northern areas especially during spring migration. There may have been good nectar plants at one time but due to natural changes in the environment as well man-made changes for the construction of new developments and hiways, etc., those plants may no longer exist or be few and far between. At one time Castilleja coccinea was very prolific here, now there is only a very small population on a 400 acre island out in the middle of the Niagara River. Another factor is that nurseries may not offer natives. They want the most impressive plants to lure the customer so focus is generally not on native plants that may not offer that wow factor. Here it is very difficult to find natives unless you collect them yourself in the wild.

Penny
NY
USDA hardiness zone 6a
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Kathi, Michael,

I think the question should address both quality and quantity of the nectar. Dennis Demcheck, who initiated the study of nectar in hummer plants here, seemed to think that quality was more important than quantity. Of course, our crude methods do not study the differences in the various sugars that nectar may contain.

I cannot address either question from my distant location since I am not able to grow many, if any, plants native to southern Wisconsin. I also have to wonder how hummers made their livings in bygone days when the relatively sparse number of native nectar plants were the only sources.

Other questions come to mind as well. Does the non-native native purist who would limit hummers to native plants only also limit his/her food choices to Bison, Eskimo Curlew, Passenger Pigeon, grouse, rabbit, and squirrel plus roots and berries of native plants? Does this person eschew the fine Wisconsin dairy products that come from non-native bovines? Wouldn't a 'native only' human diet eliminate wheat, rice, and potatoes? Wouldn't such a diet be without coffee or tea? And, doesn't most [if not all] of the honey sold in your area come from European Honeybees? Hmm . . . food for thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
USDA Zone 9
http://www.casacolibri.net/

That is an excellent argument Nancy! All living creatures would probably be on the decline if it weren't for introduced food resources!

Penny
NY
USDA hardiness zone 6a
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Nancy I love your response!!! Food for thought indeed!!!
Joann

We are dealing with a lot of half-truths here. An example is the is: 'a tree grows best in the land of its fathers'. It is sort of true, but what do we think of all the invasive trees that are cluttering up the landscape and pushing out the natives? I have never been a fundamentalist about anything but the native first folks do have a point even if they go too far. Native tree species are a community of other species, bird, insect, etc, that have adapted over deep time and are multipurpose. Non-native species lack these communities. It is why so many urban and suburban habitats are so barren of birdlife and harbor so few species. There are also other reasons like habitat fragentation that also lead to loss of species. "Do native hummingbird plants of more nectar?" is an example of going too far, confusing more than one issue. I am with the nativists about the need to use more native trees and shrubs in the suburban landscape but when you start to consider what annuals and perennials to grow the question become more complicated. For hummingbird plants one question is how can I get the most nectar over the longest period from the smallest space at the time it is needed.

Kathi, I would point out a non-native or two. Think of Salvia coccinea. It is non-invasive and blooms for months and replaces non-nectar producing bedding plants. You could tell them that in a time when commercial bird seed companies are selling toxic bird seed a homeowner by using coccinea gets a second food producing season from the plants. The plants go on to feeding migrant sparrows over the fall and winter with clean safe food that is grown locally. It is this kind of plant that would get toosed aside if we all went totally fundamental.

I also suspect that Ruby-throated Hummingbirds don't need us at all. A case might be made for wintering birds north of the Gulf but it isn't strong for migration or breeding.

Nancy brings up an interesting thought about the "quality" of nectar. I had not thought about that before she mentioned it.

Considering the above I have something to compare it with. I go to a local bee farm to buy my honey and there you can taste test the different types of honey. The clover honey is the most popular and on the mild side but they will tell you that the wild berry honey is more nutritious than the clover. So you can see there is a difference in the honey and therefore there must be a difference in the nectar it is taken from. I will never buy honey from the store again for there is no comparison . I buy honey for taste and nutrition and store bought honey has little of either.

Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

Thanks for your very kind and sometimes entertaining comments everyone. Penny, great points that you made. One thing this woman and I could agree on is that Indian Paintbrush, a great hummingbird plant, is not feasible for most home gardeners to try and grow and maintain.

Nancy, from your experience, do native Louisiana plants contain more or better nectar than exotic or introduced plants? This would be very helpful to know.

Since I posted this message this lady has e-mailed me back with revisions saying that penstemon (any kind) is not native to Wisconsin, nor is Salvia azurea (the only salvia I included on the list), or Indian Pink. She also said that something that was taken from the Stokes Hummingbird Book was wrong---she says that birds other than hummingbirds hover, so this is not unique to hummingbirds--I think what she says is wrong.

We are so afraid to go there and present our program because she may be interrupting us every five minutes and making us feel like fools. Interestingly, this is one of our few "volunteer" gigs this season (most other organizations pay at least a nominal fee.) We have put hundreds of dollars worth of time and worry into this already and may get nothing back!! The only reason we are doing it is for our good and well meaning friends.



Kathi and Michael Rock
Madison, Wisconsin
Zone 4/5

There are other birds that do hover, like kestrel and black-shouldered kite, but they don't back up.

I am sorry you are feeling so much stress over presenting to this group. Programs like yours are so useful and normally well received by nature and gardening groups. Remember you are providing an important service, contributing to the greater good but be proud of what you have learned. The woman you describe sounds like one of those know-it-alls. With her you will never win.

I do not know which plants contain the most nectar. I do believe that these birds are using insects during the migration and perhaps nectar is just a dessert in eary spring and late fall. I also think that the birds are using more types of plants than we realize. We are focusing on what is happening in our own yards, not in the fields and woods.

When I visit Canada, the houses can be 50 miles apart. Yet, there are plenty of birds up there. The woods are vast. There must be food for them there, I just have not found out what it is that they are using. Whatever plants they are, they are not obvious to me. Perhaps Blueberries or Strawberries, they grow in abudance. I have not seen all that much for them to feed on. Are they using tree sap? Yes, I have seen plenty of wild flowers there, but they are not the likely ones that any of us would think of growing.

I actually applaud what these people are doing. Yes we know what plants the birds like. But what do the birds use when we are not there to interfere? Actually, we know very little and perhaps this can be a learning experience for us all.

Patti
Pewaukee, WI
Zone 5A

I know that this isn't a nice thing to say but since she seems to know so much about hummingbirds and native plants they use maybe she should give her own presentation. I wouldn't let her stress you out though. Do you have a native plant society or a botanical garden there in Madison that might offer some additional suggestions for natives? We have both here but ironically there are only a couple of plants on their list that are used by hummers. I do however agree with you both on trying to grow Indian Paintbrush in the average home garden. It is a fantastic plant but needs to be cultivated in the wild where it was intended to grow.

Penny
NY
USDA hardiness zone 6a
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Kathi and Michael - Very interesting question you posted. I think for anything to survive, it must adapt to new food as native plants may become lost to development. Whether natives have more or better nectar, I have a hunch that may not be true. Interesting that the woman insists on ONLY native plants. I tried very hard to plant only native plants at first, but few produced blooms that attracted hummingbirds. So now I have a mix of plants that are native and non-native in my yard. Some of the natives didn't do well in my yard either. Not sure why. Perhaps all the junk dumped under the ground to raise my property up when building my house. Too many bricks or too much gravel buried under my yard. Regardless, to attract hummers, I had to go with non-natives as well as a few blooming native plants that seem to offer some nectar for the hummers.

When you give your presentation, you might start off by asking that everyone please hold all questions and/or comments until the end of your presentation. Maybe that will curb her from interrupting. Some people just seem a bit over the top when it comes to native plants. I've met a few gardeners like that myself. Ironically, none have seen hummers in their yards. They've asked me what plants I have that attract the hummingbirds. Maybe they will reconsider planting a few non-natives for the little birds? Nothing that I have growing in my yard seems to be invasive, so I think certain non-natives aren't that bad afterall. That's just my personal experience on planting ONLY native plants vs. non-native plants. Good luck with your presentation!

The blanket statement that natives provide more nectar is absolute hokum. I've heard this stated before, and if it is repeated I would encourage you to ask for a citation to research that supports it. I think perhaps this sweeping generalization stems from the fact that many highly-bred ornamental plants contain little nectar. This is probably because nectar production is not a trait that is selected for by ornamental plant breeders. Individual plants grown by breeders that are genetically programed to devote precious limited resources to greater nectar production rather than something the breeder is selecting for will be weeded out in the selection process. A comparison of nectar production of highly-bred ornamental plants selected by plant breeders to nectar production in wild or native plants selected in part by wild, nectar-consuming pollinators would surely favor the wild native plants. I am aware of one study that was conducted in Britain, if I remember correctly, that looked at attraction of pollinators (obviously no hummingbirds involved) and nectar production of various common garden plants. Perhaps the sweeping general statement that natives provide more nectar stems from this study, or one like it.

Few of the plants favored by hummingbird gardeners are the product of intense selection by plant breeding programs over many years, such as exists for plants like garden petunias, impatiens, and begonias (in fact, I can't think of any, except for the miniature cultivars of Salvia splendens, which aren't used by most hummingbird gardeners). The named cultivars we use such as Salvia guaranitica 'Argentine Skies', Monarda didyma 'Jacob Cline' and even hybrids such as Salvia 'Scarlet Spires' are not the product of extensive industry plant breeding programs but rather the result of selection of a chance seedling in a garden or wild setting, are very close to typical wild forms, and as we and the hummingbirds know, they produce copious nectar.

As far as other birds hovering--yes, other birds are able to hover, though only briefly or clumsily compared to hummingbirds. Hummingbirds do have a unique flight mechanism, with power provided on both the down and the up stroke, which makes them masters of hovering and flying backwards.

Like Ward, I'm all for using more native plants in the garden--there are many valid reasons for doing so. This year I'm converting much of my former Salvia bed over mostly to native-to-eastern US hummer plants such as Monarda didyma and Lobelia cardinalis. I'm not doing it, however, to attract more hummers--I'm doing it to lessen the annual garden work. If one were to compare nectar production of the bed before and after conversion, I'm sure that the total annual yield of nectar would be greater before when the bed was devoted to Salvias.

By the way--did she really say that there are no native Penstemon in Wisconsin? That is simply not true--Wisconsin has a number of native Penstemons, including P. gracilis, grandiflorus, hirsutus, & pallidus. Though none of these are primarily hummingbird-pollinated, they are Wisconsin natives.

I don't envy you this presentation, but what I'd do is focus on the few natives, devoting extensive time detailing bloom time, growing conditions, native range, etc. with lots of pictures of each one. I'd also include plants not necessarily native to WI but to the Eastern Deciduous Forest Biome. I guess you can spend a lot of time talking about feeders, too. Good luck!

Donald


Zone 4 Red Wing MN

To add a few thoughts:

--Yes, other birds hover, but what sets hummingbirds apart is their ability to fly backwards, sideways, straight up or down, or even upside down. Other birds' "hovering" is frequently clumsy and none have the unparalleled ability of hummingbirds to move in all directions while in a "hover" mode.

--As Nancy noted, quality of nectar is as or more important than quantity. A single bloom of a flower might hypothetically produce a couple of milliliters of nectar at a time, but if that nectar is extremely thin on sugar, it's not as useful as a flower that produces less nectar that's five times as sweet. The best plants for enabling hummingbird migration would seem to be those that produce copious amounts of nectar that's of high sugar content, but alas, I know of only a few plants native to Louisiana that would qualify. Red Buckeye in spring; Trumpet Creeper in fall; some of the Malvavicus/Turk's Cap varieties; and a few more, and that's about it.

Gardening with native plants is a worthwhile aim - it's just not the answer to all gardening questions. And certainly we wouldn't want every plant out there to be some genetically modified variety or hybrid designed to maximize one characteristic or another. But there's a huge gap between those extremes with a lot of "middle ground" for responsible gardeners to use exotics.


Kevin Morgan
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

How would it work to talk to the group organizer about including hummer plants that are 'Native to the Americas' and how adding these plants that hummers are already familiar with on their wintering grounds are beneficial to them by providing natural nectar when native plants are not in bloom.

Penny
NY
USDA hardiness zone 6a
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39