Hummingbird Fun Facts

16th Annual High Country Hummingbird Festival

July 27, 2023

It should be a beautiful day with a high of 83 degrees and chance of showers. Come prepared.

• There are over 300 species of hummingbirds and most are found in South America.

• More than 15 species of hummingbirds breed in the United States.

• Hummingbirds chirp, and do not sing.

• A hummingbird's heart beats over 1200 times per minute. At rest, a hummingbird will take over 250 breaths per minute.

•  Hummingbirds can barely walk.
• A penny weighs 2.5 grams, a hummingbird weighs 2-20 grams.
• Female hummingbirds are usually larger than males.
• Hummingbirds do not mate for life.
• Female hummingbirds do all the nest building and raising of the young.
• The average life span is 5 years.
• Wing beats per second = Over 70
• Hummingbirds are the only bird that can fly both forward and backwards.
• Average flight speed = 25-30 mph.
• It takes 20 hours for a Ruby-throated hummingbird to fly across the Gulf of Mexico.
• The Rufous hummingbird migrates from Canada to Mexico.
• A hummingbird will visit 1,000 flowers per day, needing to eat 7 or more times per hour.
• When sleeping, hummingbirds go into torpor - a state of hibernation. Hummingbirds in torpor have a heart rate of 50 or fewer beats per minute.
• A hummingbird's instinct to migrate is stronger than a food source - your hummingbird feeder will not stop a hummingbird from migrating.
• Hummingbird Nectar Recipe. Mix 1 part refined, white sugar to 4 parts of boiling water. Let the nectar cool before using. Extra nectar can be stored in a refrigerator for up to 7 days. DO NOT other types of sweetener such as: organic sugar, artificial sweeteners, honey, molasses, agave syrup, or alternatives to plain white sugar works best. Most of these contain other ingredients (like cornstarch). These can build up in the tiny bodies of hummingbird and become harmful.
• Feeders should be cleaned and refilled with fresh nectar every 3-4 days.

Tastier Jams and Jellies

Are you tired of jams, jellies, and preserves that are too sweet and have no fruit flavor? 

Here is my technique for creating delicious fruit preserves in just minutes.

Apricot jam with extra fruit

 

To begin, select a good brand of fruit jam in your favorite flavor. I especially enjoy apricot or peach, but the sugar flavor is always too strong, while the fruit flavor is, “blah”. I also look for preserves that have no high fructose corn syrup. Below is my recipe for creating tastier jams and jellies. These are so flavorful; you can even use them for gifting.

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

 1-3 jars of your favorite preserves.

2-4 pieces of fresh, fully ripened fruit. If out of season, canned fruit works well. Wash fresh fruit and remove seeds (if needed). Peel if you wish and chop fruit into tiny pieces. If using canned fruit, be sure to use a well-packaged, flavorful brand. 

 DIRECTIONS:

Put preserves in pan and heat slowly at low temperature. This will turn the preserves into a thick liquid. When warm, gently stir in chopped fruit. Increase temperature slightly and continue cooking for about 10 minutes, or until all the fruit is blended and warm. Do not boil. Remember, your preserves already contain pectin or other thickener.

Pour into jars, cool, and refrigerate. (After you open any jar of preserves, please store in refrigerator). Your new, extra fruity preserves may be slightly thinner, but not much. The best part is that your jams and jellies will be healthier and taste more like real fruit, not sweetened candy.

NOTE: If you wish, try canning the preserves in your own jars and use for gift giving. (Follow safety directions for preserving jams and jellies).

Fiddlehead Foraging

We foraged near Alpine today, searching for fiddleheads. We found enough for stir fry and even put some in the freezer. This is one of nature's superfoods. Tasty and tender sprouts of ferns. We were careful to only pick 1-2 from each fern base. 

Beautiful day in the mountains and we also saw about 100 elk in the Nutrioso herd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Garden

Its May 1, 2023. May Day. Perfect time to start our new garden (and a new adventure at 7400' elevation). 🍅😏 Quite the challenge for any gardener. 

Since our move to the White Mountains of Arizona, we've done a lot of planning during the winter and, built a new home. It was a long, wet, cold, winter, but now spring is here. 😊Time to work outside.

We recognize that our location on the side of a mesa isn't ideal, and can have design challenges.

We found one level spot for garage and barn, another for our house. Surely there must be some way to put in our gardens.

I have been on garden tours sponsored by Arizona Master Gardeners in Yavapai, Gila, Maricopa, and Navajo County. I've marveled at the beautiful gardens of Arizona in all locations and conditions. We are determined to make our land work for us.

We were able to purchase some wooden boxes from our local lumber yard.  These were actually large boxes that metal was shipped in.  Each one measures over 10' long and is 2' wide. Great for raised garden beds. 😉

 Paul brought in some rocky dirt from one area and we can use it to level an area for the boxes. Its composition will also allow for drainage from the raised beds. We will put old plywood in the bottom, along with branches and logs for short-rooted plants. Then we will   create a good soil mixture. 

First planted will be some sprouted red potatoes and maybe some asparagus, followed by cool season and summer flowers and vegetables

We will need to install our elk proof fences that we used on New Mexico.