Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This year, I went out of my way to purchase plants that attract Bees and Hummingbirds, and so far, I have seen one of each......it used to be that I would see lots of both, starting in June, now it is July. What I see are medium-sized White butterflies, but that is it.......and those come every year........
Don't lose heart. At this time of year there are many resources for hummers. In early spring or winter, they will be looking for other options. I think they are capable of making mental notes for next year, too.
Interesting that you said that. My neighbors and I have very few birds this year. We always have a ton of yellow finches and hummers. This year not a single one. Wondering why.
I saw a few hummingbirds in spring, like you said, but in spite of having filled a feeder, not one lately.
As for bees, I'm drowning in them. I have lots of clover in my lawn and they're there every single day. The guy across the road said he didn't plant vegetables this year because there are no bees to pollinate them and asked if I had seen any and I was stunned. Of course, he does use weedkiller on the lawn....
Butterflies, hardly any in spite of lots of flowers.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,585 posts, read 81,206,701 times
Reputation: 57821
We have been getting hummingbirds here since about March when the Eccremocarpus scaber Flame started to bloom. Bees have been more scarce, my bigger apple tree had hundreds of blossoms, only about 6 apples, but it rained the whole time it was in blossom. I did see a couple of bees today on the hydrangeas.
We have a hummingbird (female) who comes to the feeder multiple times a day--about the same as last year.
We have seen some bees--both bumblebees and honeybees but not a lot yet as not all of the flowers they favor in our garden are blooming yet. I did see a LOT of bumblebees having a field day on the clover in the area that they leave wild (don't mow/weed spray) when we visited Woodcock Lake.
We have at least two hummers up here in New Hampshire. The air duels are really fun to watch. We have a male and a female ruby throat. Don't know if they're battling or another one. The males all look alike to me, ya know.
We also have a indigo bunting, bluebird and rose and evening grosbeaks that regularly visit the feeders.
We are not seeing as many humming birds this year as usual but they will probably start showing up more in a few weeks. Our spring was long and very wet. Now we are looking at wonderful but almost too hot weather, with lots of sunshine. OUr daughter is getting a lot of her hummingbirds now.
I saw a few hummingbirds in spring, like you said, but in spite of having filled a feeder, not one lately.
As for bees, I'm drowning in them. I have lots of clover in my lawn and they're there every single day. The guy across the road said he didn't plant vegetables this year because there are no bees to pollinate them and asked if I had seen any and I was stunned. Of course, he does use weedkiller on the lawn....
Butterflies, hardly any in spite of lots of flowers.
So that is it: My husband has been walking around with a huge gallon of weed killer..........we are infested with Poison Ivy, and I spent the first three-weeks of Spring doused in Ivyrest and Calamine Lotion, with a swollen-up face. Here in NYC, it has rained an awful lot...
I used vinegar, salt, and Dawn Soap, on the Poison/Ivy with very little results......
But, he does not spray by the flowers.....so, will the bees still stay away?
So that is it: My husband has been walking around with a huge gallon of weed killer..........we are infested with Poison Ivy, and I spent the first three-weeks of Spring doused in Ivyrest and Calamine Lotion, with a swollen-up face. Here in NYC, it has rained an awful lot...
I used vinegar, salt, and Dawn Soap, on the Poison/Ivy with very little results......
But, he does not spray by the flowers.....so, will the bees still stay away?
The weed killing neighbor I mentioned sprays his whole lawn so there's no clover. The bees in my yard LOVE clover. Flowers, too, so if yours are blooming they should still come.
I don't blame you for killing the poison ivy and I'm sorry you're suffering so much. I was going to try that RoundUp you put on like stick deodorant so you don't get other plants by mistake, but the reviews were awful and now I don't know what to do.
But today I had a hummingbird! Right after writing that I hadn't seen any, a gray one spent a while between the feeder and the glads and just humming around. We were so happy to see him!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
