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Ruby-throated Hummingbirds: How to Attract Them

Ruby-throated Hummingbird at Coral Honeysuckle, a GREAT native spring nectar source that often reblooms all summer long

Hi Gang,

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are migrating north! Yesterday, April 4, 2026, two were spotted by wildlife gardeners in Cape May County, NJ!

So, I scrambled to get ready for returning hummingbirds (make hummingbird solution, fill a few feeders, and place them strategically where they could easily be seen by hummingbirds and from inside our house).

You can monitor Ruby-throated Hummingbird migration north (AND enter your own sightings) on the 2026 Hummingbird Central  map and on the  Journey North  map.  When you go to each of these sites,  be sure to set the date for these migration maps to 2026.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been surging north from their wintering grounds (northern Panama and Costa Rica, north to southern Mexico) since mid-February and March.  They will steadily move north with each good migration weather day, the opening of important nectar plants, and warm enough days with insect life.

Native nectar sources that I planted for hummingbirds and other pollinators will soon bloom: Coral Honeysuckle, Wild Columbine, and Red Buckeye to name a few.

Why Feeders?

You might wonder why I recommend putting out a hummingbird feeder, which is obviously an artificial nectar source. When hummingbirds arrive, my garden is still dirt! Without well-maintained feeders, “on-the-move” Ruby-throated Hummingbirds will keep going.  Nothing much is in bloom.

Why More Than 1 Feeder?

In spring, once hummingbirds have arrived I have a total of 6-8 feeders scattered around our yard, so that returning males (they migrate first) can’t take control of our entire wildlife habitat. I want females to settle in too and consider nesting in our yard. I’ll space the feeders out. I put one feeder on each end of my front porch (and enjoy them from the front porch rockers). I hang one from a shepherd’s hook on our back porch, easily viewed from the kitchen and sunroom. I hang one from the arbor into our perennial garden. I hang one from a tree limb at the back of our garden. And I hang one at the back of our woods.  This way females will have options, places to set up their own territory and nest in our yard, away from bossy, territorial males (who DO NOT share, even with females they’ve mated with).  When activity picks up I add two more, one outside my office window and one outside our screened porch.

The Proper Solution for a Hummingbird Feeder

The solution I use (that is most like nectar) is 1 part sugar and 4 parts water. I make a quart at a time and refrigerate what’s left. I’ll only put two ounces into each feeder in the spring (and in late fall) because use is light and the last thing any of us want to do is waste sugar (sugar cane fields are gobbling up important habitat). I mark my calendar so that each week, like clockwork, I empty and clean the feeders with hot soapy water, then rinse them with boiling water, and then put in 2 ounces of fresh solution (when temperatures heat up, I clean the feeders every 3 days).  NO red dye is necessary; the feeders have enough bright red parts to attract hummers and red dye is cancer causing (and outlawed in many countries).  Hummingbirds have long tongues and can easily reach the 2 ounces of solution.  I don’t fill the feeders with more solution until activity gets crazy and that doesn’t happen until young are on the wing and during migration when so many birds are tanking up and moving through our habitat.

Keep an eye on Journey North’s Ruby-throated Hummingbird MAP  and on Hummingbird Central’s MAP to see their movement north so you are ready for them.

The site I recommended for 23 years, Hummingbirds.Net, is still available.  On this site you can view 23 years of spring migration maps (1996-2018) for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, but there have been no LIVE maps since 2018. The creator of this great website is no longer able to maintain it because of technical (and expensive) changes (his explanation can be read at the top of the page HERE).

If you are a new wildlife gardener, be sure to also provide:

  1. a pesticide-free property (since hummingbirds also feast on soft-bodied insects and spiders)
  2. a habitat filled with native perennials, trees, shrubs, and vines that provide nectar attractive to hummingbirds from spring thru late fall!

Some Sources of Native Plants in 2025

We are so fortunate to have a number of native plant sales and reputable nurseries in this region.   Be sure to support them.  You’ll find my latest list of :  “Some Sources of Native Plants: 2025“.

All About Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds

To read more about Ruby-throated Hummingbirds check out my additional post below.  You may also want to print my Ruby-throated Hummingbird Fact Sheet (the reverse side covers Hummingbird Feeder maintenance and gardening for hummingbird info).

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds – Part One: They’re Back

  • my favorite hummingbird feeder (nature centers sell them, as does Amazon)
  • spring nectar plants that have worked for me in the Mid-Atlantic Region to lure hummingbirds to settle in and nest in your yard.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds – Part Two: Summer Nectar – COMING WHEN I CAN CATCH MY BREATH:

  • summer nectar for the Mid-Atlantic Region including many natives and a few non-natives (that are not problematic).
  • proper feeder maintenance during the heat of summer
  • the importance of insects
  • places to bathe

Happy Wildlife Gardening,  Pat

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Rainfall, How Much ?

Hi Gang,

As a wildlife gardener I’ve been tuned in to droughts and how they affect wildlife, wildlife gardens, and nectar and host plants in natural areas. Last summer’s heat dome and endless drought resulted in many of the Chocolate Cake nectar plants in my garden blooming all too quickly and going to seed, long before normal.  Forget natural areas where no one was wetting down native nectar and host plants.  They were crisped beyond recognition.  Vernal ponds are wet in the winter and early spring, then dry out by summer. Many of our vernal ponds were dry this past winter, resulting in salamanders having no place to breed. Salamanders seek these seasonally wet sites for breeding because they are fish free (fish are primary predators of salamanders and their young). Overwintering butterflies and moths in the egg, caterpillar, or chrysalis/pupa form become desiccated during lengthy stretches without rainfall. There are many, many other examples of wildlife suffering during long periods of drought.

Even native plants are affected during long periods of drought. Southern NJ has been in EXTREME DROUGHT for some time now: 2024-2025.

In 2024 my wildlife garden was on a number of wildlife garden tours. I love to share my wildlife gardens and all the wildlife they attract! But last year’s drought took the joy right out of those tours. Clay and I spent all of our free time watering, so some of our native plants would be alive to benefit pollinators and other wildlife. We did what we could, watering in triage the parts of our 1/2 acre property that were suffering the worst. It was a never ending effort. Even native trees and shrubs were dying. The garden tours were full of excited native plant gardeners and they saw lots, but they did not see the abundance I am used to and that was painful to me. During the tours I, of course, put on a smile and showcased what was surviving in our gardens and the wildlife there, but know that it was hard to be joyful when our area was being brutalized by a heat dome coupled with unending drought.

As of March 11th, southern NJ (all of Cape May, Atlantic, and much of Cumberland County) is still in EXTREME DROUGHT (that is a step beyond SEVERE DROUGHT) as you can see from the latest U.S. Drought Monitor Map (above). To follow this drought click here (updated each Thursday): Drought Monitor Map for the U.S.   You can zero in on our area, the Northeast, here: Drought Monitor Map for the Northeast.   In each you can see that southern NJ stands out like a bright RED sore thumb (Extreme Drought).

I have been curious about the rainfall in my garden for years. I’d talk with friends only a couple of miles away who were inundated with rain the night before, when all we got was a sprinkle. So, you can imagine how excited I was to learn about and become part of the “Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS)” in October 2013. CoCoRaHS is made up of “Volunteers working together to measure precipitation across the nations” (US, Canada, and the Bahamas).

I submit my rainfall (or snowfall) each morning at 7:00 am from my official CoCoRaHS Rain Gauge. When I travel I am able to submit the cumulative rainfall when I return. If you live in NJ, my garden is CoCoRaHS Station Number NJ-CM-29.  Check it out!

Rainfall — How Much?
Learn exactly how much rainfall
your garden enjoyed
by joining CoCoRaHS
(Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network)

Click HERE to learn about CoCoRaHS
(you’ll find links to “sign up”
as a CoCoRaHS Volunteer Observer here too)

The only cost to you will be the purchase of
a CoCoRaHS Rain Gauge
(you can donate to CoCoRaHS annually too
if you’d like; I always do)

Here is an explanation about acceptable rain gauges for CoCoRaHS:
CoCoRaHS Rain Gauge.

Here is where you can order your CoCoRaHS Rain Gauge. Mine is the 3rd one across, “The Official original CoCoRaHS gauge,” but I see there is one other acceptable gauge now, the TROPO Gauge – the official premium CoCoRaHS gauge.

Happy Wildlife Gardening,

Pat

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Backyard Birds Attracted to a Wildlife Habitat

Hi Gang,

I enjoyed sharing my program “Backyard Birds Attracted to a Wildlife Habitat” for Jenkins Arboretum via ZOOM (so it was available to all, near & far) on February 20, 2025! And it was FREE! And I gave permission for Jenkins Arboretum to record it. I’ll share full details further down in this post, but first let me gush a bit about Jenkins Arboretum and how excited I was to present a program for them.

Some of my favorite natives in our itty-bitty restored woodlands (1/3rd of our 1/2 acre property) came from Jenkins Arboretum, propagated on-site by staff and terrific volunteers from natives in their own landscape and sold in their Garden Shop.

My heart sings when Pinxterbloom Azalea, Rhododendron periclymenoides, blooms, a South Jersey native, but one that I could not find available for sale at any of the South Jersey native plant nurseries I knew of in 2009 (when we saved our woods from Multiflora Rose and Japanese Honeysuckle). So I am forever grateful to Jenkins Arboretum for this shrub.

For the first eleven years my Pinxterbloom Azalea did not bloom and, quite frankly, I forgot I’d even planted it. But then on March 30, 2021, a shrub I didn’t recognize with large, showy buds caught my eye. I stopped in my tracks, thinking “What the heck!” I found my plant sign near its base and recalled my purchase. I kept an eye on it. On April 22nd the buds were getting close to blooming, but one-by-one the stems (and buds) were disappearing (cleanly sliced off). I quickly realized why I’d lost track of this shrub. Our abundant rabbits, who must think we’ve planted everything for them, had been repeatedly pruning this shrub of its buds (resulting in no flowers of course). That day I gathered reinforcements and circled my brutalized azalea with chicken wire (1.5′ high). April 29th flowers finally bloomed on my Pinxterbloom Azalea. Now, each spring, I eagerly and with child-like wonder look forward to these big, showy pink blooms, always busy with pollinators, and now occurring on multiple branches safely within my ugly chicken wire protection.

 

So, when Jenkins Arboretum invited me to present a program for their Third Thursday Lecture Series, I eagerly agreed. And I gave Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens permission to record this program and add it to their You Tube Channel as an educational video.  Details follow:

“Backyard Birds Attracted to a Wildlife Habitat,”
by Pat Sutton

was presented on February 20, 2025

Via ZOOM for Jenkins Arboretum and Gardens
as part of their “Third Thursday Lecture Series.”

Click HERE to see a recording of the program
and Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens’ links to additional great information

Click HERE for Pat Sutton’s Backyard Birds HANDOUT
This handout should answer questions you may have after viewing this program; it shares some of my favorite books, resources, tools, protection measures, etc. that I include in the program.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM: Create it and they will come! Pat Sutton will share accounts of the diverse wildlife attracted to the South Jersey wildscape she and her husband have nurtured for over 45 years. They have tallied over 213 bird species, 79 butterfly species, and 116 other pollinators (37 different wasps, 34 different flies, 26 different bees, 10 different beetles, and 10 different diurnal moths) in their tiny one-half-acre wildlife oasis. How’d they do it? By questioning each practice as to whether it would help or harm wildlife. Get tips on creating a backyard habitat that benefits wildlife.

ABOUT JENKINS ARBORETUM: I’ve included Jenkins Arboretum’s offerings in my “Some Sources of Native Plants” for a number of years. If you live near there and haven’t visited yet, by all means do. And if it means a road trip, I promise you that it will be worth your while. Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens, 631 Berwyn Baptist Road, Devon, PA 19333 (Chester Co.); 610-647-8870. Garden Shop (open daily: 9 am – 4 pm) sells a wonderful selection of native seeds year round and, from mid-April until late October, also sells a great selection of native perennials, shrubs, trees, and evergreen & deciduous azaleas (most all are propagated on-site at Jenkins). Check their website for their regularly updated “Plant Inventory List.” See native plants in the landscape by visiting this 48-acre arboretum and gardens with 7 different trails (each about 1/4 mile or less). Garden map & trail descriptions can be found HERE. Open daily year round (hours vary seasonally, depending on when the sun sets): March 15 – April 30 (9 am – 7 pm), May 1 – August 31 (9 am – 8 pm), September 1 – 30 (9 am – 7 pm), and October 1 – March 14 (9 am – 5 pm). FREE admission, donations recommended.

Happy Wildlife Gardening,
Pat

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Avian Flu Concerns

Hi Gang,

This post does not involve gardening, but concerns something that I thought avid naturalists and wildlife gardeners would want to know about.

Clay and I were birding on Friday, January 17, 2025, in Cumberland County, New Jersey, east and south of the Cohansey River. We found a flock of 10,000-20,000 (truly uncountable) Snow Geese and were dazzled by them for much of the day. It had been quite a few years since we’d seen numbers like this, even though for many years we could hear the clamoring of Snow Geese from our house in Goshen, NJ, each winter as they fed in the marshes between Reeds Beach and Jakes Landing. Those concentrations haven’t happened for years now. On January 17th, this huge flock of Snow Geese near the Cohansey River also attracted a steady parade of local resident and wintering Bald Eagles. We roughly estimated 36 Bald Eagles for the day. Each eagle’s flight over the Snow Geese resulted in noisy and mind-blowing flushes which entertained us all day long.

While scanning for other raptors and birds, we noticed a dozen or more dead Snow Geese scattered around the farm fields that held the Snow Geese. At first we thought these dead birds were maybe the result of hunters winging them, but then we feared that it could be Avian Flu, also known as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). This alarmed us because we saw numerous Bald Eagles, a Northern Harrier, and a Raven feasting on this easy prey (dead Snow Geese).

I called and reported the dead Snow Geese to the NJ DEP’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program and learned that a press release had gone out the same day, January 17th about HPAI and I wanted to share it with you. I learned that HPAI is very active in NJ, DE, and PA right now, affecting hundreds (or more) snow geese plus other waterfowl.

This press release
(click on underlined text to read)
about Avian Flu in NJ, also known as
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI),
just went out Friday
and asks anyone who finds
dead or sick waterfowl or raptors
to report their findings to the NJ DEP hotline at
877-WARN-DEP (877-927-6337)

All cases are being investigated, but at times it is not possible to collect all carcasses. With good reason, the Endangered and Nongame Species Program is very concerned about NJ’s Bald Eagle population and will do what they can to limit their exposure, but dead and sick geese are magnets for eagles.  The die-off Clay and I discovered is one of several. As of January 21, other known outbreaks are in Mannington (Salem County) and in Warren / Hunterdon counties.

If you should find a sick or dead waterfowl or raptor in the wild and need to move it away from your home or some other area, review information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for specific groups  and take additional precautions, including wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

If you live in one of the surrounding states that is finding HPAI, look for information in your state for where to report similar findings (dead or sick waterfowl or raptors). Here is an excellent news release  by Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources about their efforts (this news release was also posted on January 17th).  The Maryland news release addresses a question about bird feeding that many of us might have right now:

  • Anyone who fills bird feeders for the winter should feel free to do so, as songbirds carry a very low risk of getting or spreading the virus. (That said, I would add that it is very important to keep feeders and water sources clean!)

Please do not send questions about HPAI to me. I am not an expert. I am just trying to inform folks who, like me, explore and enjoy the natural world and might be in a position to find dead or sick waterfowl or raptors. Read the news releases I’ve shared and follow all the links in each news release to educate yourself.

Thank you for caring! Stay Warm!

Pat

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Water in the Winter Wildlife Garden

Our array of heated bird baths have been busy non-stop today (amidst the 8″ of snow we’ve had) with a variety of birds, including this flock of American Robins.

Heated bird baths are life savers during wicked winter weather.  They provide crucial drinking and bathing water through snow storms and stretches when all natural water sources are frozen solid.  This is especially important this winter since our area, South Jersey, is still in a state of extreme drought (that’s a step beyond severe drought shared on the U.S. Drought Monitor Map).  Many of our normally wet woods remain bone dry.

Have you set up a heated bird bath this winter?  If not, read on!

Mourning Dove and Brown Thrasher at our heated bird bath

Wildlife needs are basic: food, cover, and water

FOOD needs can be met by planting (or preserving) native nectar plants and native berry-producing and seed-producing plants.

Two of our brush piles near feeding station to provide important winter cover

COVER is crucial so that birds and other wildlife can avoid becoming a predator’s next meal.  Cover also provides safe places to nest, roost through the night, or get out of bad weather.  Native evergreens like Red Cedar, American Holly, and Waxmyrtle offer excellent cover for wildlife.  If your yard is wide open and without adequate cover, gather fallen branches and make a winter brush pile.  You’ll be amazed by all the action it attracts as birds dash for the safety it offers when a hungry hawk flies through the yard.  Or collect discarded Christmas trees and place them near bird feeding stations and bird baths, so that birds are not too vulnerable when they come to feed or drink or bathe.  And next spring seriously consider planting a Red Cedar (or American Holly or Waxmyrtle) or two or three!

Providing WATER is just as important as providing food and cover

Songbirds lose water through respiration and in their droppings. To replace lost water, most songbirds need to drink at least twice a day. In order to stay fit and healthy birds also need to bathe to keep their feathers in good condition. Bathing loosens dirt and makes their feathers easier to preen. Preening is a daily ritual where birds carefully clean, rearrange, and oil their feathers (one-by-one) with their bill — spreading oil along each feather from the preen gland. This daily preening successfully waterproofs their feathers and traps an insulating layer of air underneath to keep them warm. Keeping their feathers in perfect condition through daily preening is a matter of life and death. Well maintained feathers enable birds to fly at a moment’s notice and regulate their body temperature.

E. Bluebirds were drawn to our heated bird bath on January 5, 2016, when the temperature was 11 degrees F.

Birds face difficult times when water is scarce or nonexistent during deep freezes like have experienced several times already this winter and will undoubtedly face again this winter or during drought periods.

Heated Bird Bath

Providing water in the wildlife garden is something many accomplish easily spring through fall, yet fail to do once freezing winter temperatures settle in. There are solutions even in the dead of winter.  A heated bird bath coupled with an outdoor socket is the key. We use an outdoor power cord to connect the two.

We’ve had our Pole Mounted ERVA Heated Birdbath (photo above) for over 25  years.  The pole with its additional leg for support, when driven into the ground, makes this birdbath very sturdy so it remains standing no matter what!  In the summer months I use the same stand to hold a large plastic dish/tray (like you’d put under a large flower pot) full of gooey fruit for butterflies.  So even though expensive, this heated birdbath has served me (and wildlife) very, very well.  Beware that most of today’s standing heated bird bath designs are tipsy by comparison (bird baths balanced on inadequate tripod legs), looking like they’d topple over every time a frisky squirrel leaps up.

As of January 6, 2025,  the Pole Mounted ERVA Heated Birdbath is available at 1st State Seed Garden Supply (best price, on sale at $30 less than other sites) and at Best Nest,  Amazon,  Freeport Wild Bird Supply,  Feed the Birds, Walmart,  and probably elsewhere (currently sold out at Nature House) .

Some heated bird baths rest on the ground and come with additional hardware so they can be attached to a railing like this one (photo above).  If far from cover, place some cut evergreen branches nearby, as we have.

Wildlife gardening friend Jean Riling uses a Bird Bath De-icer unit to keep her bird bath water from freezing (photo below);  Ed & Cindy Russell alerted me that the 80 watt de-icer handles the task far better than the 50 watt version.  Ecosystem Gardener Carole Brown uses a heated dog bowl.

Garden Gang member Steve Mattan shared that he uses a special plug to control when his heated bird bath turns on and off (the plug / thermostatically controlled outlet powers ON at 32-Degrees and OFF at 50-Degrees ).  How cool is that?  Clay & I unplug our extension cord when it’s warm and plug it back in when temperatures drop, but this special plug can save the day if you’re not paying attention.

Shy away from “artistic” bird baths that may look pretty but are not as serviceable to birds: too deep, too fragile and likely to break if they topple over, or (most important of all) are too hard to keep clean. The heated bird baths we’ve used are made of a hard black plastic material that is very easy to clean with a  good scrub brush and a little muscle.

If You Have a Wildlife Pond

If you have a wildlife pond and are thinking of putting a de-icer into it to make that your winter water source for birds, this could lead to some serious problems.  If indeed large flocks of birds descend on your pond to drink, their droppings will accumulate in your pond and you could face an algae problem during the warm month fueled by all these bird droppings.

Remember, birds need cover to avoid hungry predators. Place your heated bird bath near a safe retreat like an evergreen tree or shrub or near a brush pile or, as we have, place some cut evergreen branches around it.

Stay away from chemicals!

Some folks, who don’t know better, add chemicals to keep their bird bath water from freezing (like glycerine, anti-freeze, or salt). This is a death sentence for the birds. These chemicals can destroy the waterproofing capability of birds’ feathers, or poison the birds.

Hermit Thrush at our heated bird bath

Scrub out, rinse, and refill daily

During lengthy periods of frozen conditions water is in such demand that heated bird baths become heavily soiled. To avoid the spread of disease, maintain your heated bird bath with care by scrubbing it out with a soft bristle brush, rinse it with fresh water to wash out any residual bird droppings, and refill it with fresh water at least once (and often twice) a day. With heavy use heated bird baths may be emptied by flocks of birds twice a day or more. We keep a jug of water handy by the backdoor to easily facilitate this task.

Gray Catbird at our heated bird bath

Beyond helping birds survive brutal winter weather, our heated bird baths give us great pleasure. We’ve had excellent looks (and photo opportunities) at some real skulkers like Hermit Thrush, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, and other secretive birds not normally seen in our yard in winter.

Winter can be a stressful time for birds. Lengthy stretches of sub-zero weather can freeze solid every last bit of available water. Natural foods can be buried by snow. Heavy snow or freezing rain can creep into the deepest cover where birds are roosting.

If you have a tip to share, please do so in the comment section below.  Shared comments and tips by fellow Garden Gang members have made this post stronger and stronger over the years.  Thank you all!

Let’s do what we can to help birds survive a tough winter. Add a heated bird bath (or two or more) to your wildlife habitat this winter.

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Do Your Milkweed Leaves Have Holes?

For two solid months (July 9th through September 8th) we enjoyed 1-4 Monarchs daily in our 47-year-old wildlife garden, many days including a female (or two) laying eggs.  We saw our 1st Monarch on May 26th, then another on July 1st. On July 9th we spotted a female laying eggs, and the rest is history.

Our neighborhood may be more of a Monarch oasis than many neighborhoods because  our wildlife garden harbors so many milkweed plants (over 100) and because I have milkweed scattered around our half acre, not all in one or two spots, and because we have a few nearby wildlife gardening neighbors with loads of milkweed .  Garden strolls this summer and early fall included finding multiple eggs, tiny newly-hatched caterpillars, and large caterpillars.  Even now, as I write this on September 18th, I am still finding multiple caterpillars (some small and some about to pupate). We have not found a chrysalis . . . YET, but that doesn’t keep us from looking.

Our milkweed offerings are plentiful, including:

Butterfly Weed     Several plants  return each spring, but are not that happy in our richer-than-they-would-like soil.  This native milkweed much prefers sand, gravel, bone-dry sites, and railroad beds, hence it’s other common name, Railroad Annie.

 

Eastern Swamp Milkweed     Seven plants return each spring in my rain gardens, where hose ends empty out our rain barrels.  This native milkweed is stunning and a magnet to all pollinators.  By September, their leaves are pretty much dried up and not looking their best, but I leave all in place for wildlife!

Common Milkweed     Over one hundred plants are scattered throughout the sunny (and not so sunny) perennial garden, meadow, and vegetable garden.  Many consider this milkweed to be a thug because it sends underground runners and pops up in entirely new sites like garden paths, lawn areas, other garden beds.  For years I dug up these wayward milkweeds and substantial portions of their roots so I could give them away.  Now I cherish each outlier because these outliers are  less likely to attract as many predators.  Monarch eggs and caterpillars on outliers seem to have a better chance of surviving.  This native milkweed is a hotbed of Monarch activity.  It blooms in late June / early July.  Its fragrance is intoxicating and its huge pale pink  balls of flowers steal the show and draw in many, many pollinators.  By August and into October (and sometimes even through November), its leaves are still robust and being used by resident Monarchs as they lay one last batch of eggs before dying.  These  late-season eggs, if frosts hold off, result in one last generation of migratory Monarchs on the Cape May Peninsula (where the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware Bay sustain micro habitats of pleasant weather).

Tropical Milkweed       Each spring I purchase 4-5 plants at nearby Goshen Gardens nursery.  I tuck this non-native annual milkweed into a few spots in my yard, including out front where I have no other milkweeds.  Being an annual this milkweed blooms and blooms and continues to bloom right up until the first frost.  It is a favorite of Monarchs for nectaring and egg-laying.  September 7th I set up a study station for two young home-schooled naturalists.  They discovered an egg and multiple caterpillars on two plants.

I had hoped that my own garden was an indicator that it was a good Monarch year.  But I was in several milkweed-rich gardens on September 8, 2024.  These gardens (in Atlantic County and Gloucester County) were part of a tour of Native Landscapes in South Jersey, organized by the SE Chapter of the Native Plant Society of NJ.  The tour and the properties were inspirational.  Each site was unique and offered great learning opportunities.  But, I saw zero holes in milkweed leaves in the prolific patches.  Huh!  It was a shock to see so much untouched milkweed (without holes in the leaves).  The garden owners shared that they had seen very few Monarchs so far this year.

In comparison, my milkweed leaves are full of holes!  You might not realize this, but when the tiny Monarch caterpillar hatches from its egg, its first meal is what remains of its egg shell.  Then it cuts through the leaf in a nice neat circle around the egg to get the milkweed milky sap (known as latex) to flow .  The bit of leaf in the center of this circle is now latex free and safe for the tiny newborn Monarch caterpillar to eat .   Elizabeth Howard / Journey North has a beautifully written and illustrated graphic on this topic:   “Let’s Find Monarchs! Clues in the Milkweed Patch.”

Maybe the key to more Monarchs is having a few nearby neighbors who are also wildlife gardeners, so your own offerings are not the only show in town.  And if you do have milkweed, be sure to have lots of it and scatter it around so that predators can not find every last egg and caterpillar.  Predators are drawn to our wildlife gardens and all the life we’ve attracted.  Predators are hungry too and a Monarch caterpillar is a choice meal for a paper wasp to carry back to its nest.

Time will tell if summer Monarch numbers were good.  They were in my garden; I still had 7 full grown caterpillars yesterday (September 17th), and that was without even peeking under all the leaves.  But, as I learned just recently, even a county or two away they were absent.

This Fall’s Monarch Migration

If you are keen to witness this fall’s Monarch migration at Cape May, respond to cold fronts.  When temperatures drop and you need to find your flannel PJs or a comforter, seriously consider making the journey to Cape May the next day.  These cool winds from the north and northwest blow southbound migrating birds (and butterflies) out to the coast.  Once migrants reach the coast they hug the land and follow it south (sometimes working hard not to be carried out over the  treacherous Atlantic Ocean waters).   These migrants reach lands end at Cape May Point.

Winds That Bring Monarchs to the Tip of the Cape May Peninsula

Often, the strong winds that carry migrating Monarchs to the tip of the Cape May Peninsula are winds that are not conducive for crossing the Delaware Bay (strong winds that could blow them out to sea instead).  Their numbers may build as they wait for gentler and more favorable winds to cross the bay.  During these periods you can find them nectaring on Giant Sunflower and Groundsel-tree (Baccharis halimifolia) along the trails at the Cape May Point State Park and on Seaside Goldenrod in the dunes.

Winds That Help Monarchs Cross the Delaware Bay

These gathering Monarchs wait for gentle tail winds (winds from the north or northeast) that will enable them to safely cross the Delaware Bay.  Such winds often occur several days after a cold front has passed.  In the meantime, while they are gathered at the tip, enjoy evening roosts (sometimes holding hundreds or thousands) and return at first light to watch “lift off” as they use these gentle tail winds to continue their migration.

There are many opportunities to learn about Monarchs:

NJ Audubon’s Calendar filters for all their Monarch events:

  • Monarch Monitoring Project Drop In(s) at the Nature Center of Cape May
  • Monarch Monitoring Project Drop In(s) at Triangle Park (in Cape May Point)
  • Monarch Tagging Demos

The Cape May Point Science Center is also offering Monarch Butterfly Tagging Demonstrations using a solar-powered GPS device as part of their Project Monarch.  These demonstrations will occur on Thursdays (September 19 and September 26) at 1:00 p.m. and on Saturdays (September 21 and September 28) at 11:30 a.m.  Follow the Cape May Point Science Center’s Facebook page so you don’t miss these and other great learning opportunities.

Do not miss the September 29th Monarch Festival at the Nature Center of Cape May.

On Facebook, follow Cape May Monarchs – this page occasionally informs about Monarch migration, roosts, etc.

The Monarch Monitoring Project home page shares a lot of the history of this project.

 

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An Interview with Pat on The WildStory Podcast

I am a proud member of the Native Plant Society of NJ.  I share Garden Gang alerts, when time permits, about the great work this group is doing. I have been remiss, though, in not sharing with you news of one more incredible learning opportunity from this group featuring often funny, sometimes sad, but always reflective conversations in:

The WildStory, a PODCAST of Poetry and Plants
by the Native Plant Society of NJ
Co-produced by Ann E. Wallace
PhD Poet Laureate of Jersey City
& Kim Correro
Rutgers Master Gardener & Co-leader of the NPSNJ Hudson Chapter
Each podcast also features “Ask Randi,”
questions answered by Dr. Randi Eckel
Entomologist, Vice President of Membership NPSNJ,
& owner of Toadshade Wildflower Farm

If you haven’t tuned in yet,
you can learn about and access all episodes (16 as of September 11, 2024)
of the WildStory Podcasts HERE
Listen on iTunes (apple podcasts), Spotify, or Amazon Music

I was interviewed by Ann & Kim on July 30, 2024
This interview is part of their September 11, 2024 WildStory Podcast

Follow The WildStory Podcast on Instagram HERE
to see videos and extra content

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Since we all love to learn, I knew you’d also want to know that . . .

the Native Plant Society of NJ (NPSNJ)
has a terrific library of webinar recordings
available to all
on their website
You can find them HERE
(obviously bookmark this page and visit it frequently
since new webinar recordings are added regularly)

Obviously, the NPSNJ is a great group to support as a member!

Happy Learning About Native Plants and the Critters That Need Them,
Pat

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Call Now to be Put on No Spray List

Hi Gang,

I am assuming that those of you who have signed up to get my Garden Gang Alerts are wildlife gardeners, that you garden with native plants that serve as nectar plants and host plants for our butterflies and moths, that your yard hosts many birds that feed on those caterpillars, that you welcome all beneficial pollinators, not just butterflies and moths, including bees wasps, flies, beetles, and hummingbirds. If so, your gardens concentrate a super abundance of beneficial pollinators and you are obligated to notify any agencies or private companies that do spray for pest insects like mosquitoes and ticks in your neighborhood.

I am quite flabbergasted by folks who claim that spraying does not occur in their neighborhood. Do they know that with certainty? My neighborhood alone, during this drought summer (except for these crazy rain events), has already been sprayed three times (as of July 3, 2024) by the Cape May County Department of Mosquito Control. If I was not on the Cape May County Department of Mosquito Control’s “Notification List,” I would never know they’d sprayed. They do it at night (between 7:00 p.m. and Midnight or between 3:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.), by truck, as they drive by.

So, please, for the well being of pollinators you’ve drawn in and concentrated (or if you keep bees, or if you garden organically), if you live here in Cape May County, New Jersey, where spraying for mosquitoes occurs regularly (in response to residents calling in and complaining), you can call and tell the Cape May County Department of Mosquito Control that you do not want your property sprayed.

Call the Cape May County Department of Mosquito Control
609-465-9038
Monday – Friday
( 7:00 a.m. –  3:00 p.m.)
Ask to be put on their “Notification List” / “No Spray List”
Be ready to provide: (1) your name, (2) snail mail address (street address), and (3) e-mail address (so they can notify you when spraying needs to be done in your town).

If you have called previously to be put on the “Notification List” (“No Spray List”), you will remain on this list indefinitely, unless you choose to be removed from the list by calling the Cape May County Department of Mosquito Control.

If you live in another county in New Jersey, where mosquito spraying also occurs, you can call your county mosquito department too and make this same request.

Mosquito Education

Regarding mosquito issues in your neighborhood, education is key. Prevention is the first step. Since mosquitoes need to breed in stagnant water, the most effective form of mosquito control is to remove all open containers to stop mosquito larvae from surviving in them. The non-native Asian Tiger Mosquito (above) breeds readily in man-made sites: saucers under plants, tires laying around, open buckets, etc. It is the main nuisance mosquito around homes and can be avoided. Kyle Rossner, an entomologist formerly with the Cape May County Department of Mosquito Control, created this MOSQUITO HABITAT CHECKLIST (click HERE) to help property owners resolve mosquito breeding sites they themselves may have created. Print this checklist and share it with any neighbors who call the Department of Mosquito Control and complain about mosquitoes or have signed on for treatments by a private company. There is a good chance they have caused the surge of mosquitoes themselves.

Be sure to also read my June 9, 2023, post:   Help! A Private Company is Spraying the Neighbor’s Yard for Mosquitoes !

Posted on

Landscape Design With Birds and Pollinators in Mind

Hi Gang,

This summer I am teaching a “Landscape Design With Birds & Pollinators in Mind” class twice in Avalon. These 2-hour indoor classes are co-sponsored by the Avalon Environmental Commission and the Avalon Free Public Library. The classes are FREE but registration is required. Details follow:

June 14 (Friday), 2:30-4:30 p.m.
(same class offered Fri., August 16, but at a different location)
“Landscape Design with Birds and Pollinators in Mind”
by Pat Sutton
Registration required; Space limited to 20
Where: Avalon at the Tennis Building, 250 39th St, Avalon, NJ 08202

August 16 (Friday), 2:30-4:30 p.m.
(same 2-hr class offered Friday, June 14, but at a different location)
“Landscape Design with Birds and Pollinators in Mind”
by Pat Sutton
Registration required; Space limited to 20
Where: Avalon Free Public Library, 235 32nd St, Avalon, NJ 08202

DETAILS ABOUT THESE CLASSES:

Registration is required.

For the June 14th CLASS Avalon property owners began registering May 17. Registration opened up to others on May 31.

For the August 16th CLASS Avalon property owners may register beginning July 19. All others may register beginning August 2.

To register, please call the Avalon Library at 609-967-7155 or stop by their circulation desk at 235 32nd St, Avalon, NJ 08202.  At registration, participants will receive Pat Sutton’s handout, “Landscape Design with Pollinators and Birds in Mind,” which includes instructions on creating a sketch of their property required for the class. Be sure to read this handout over prior to the class so that you get as much as possible out of the class.

The property sketch should be emailed to Pat 3 days prior to the class (so by the end of the day on Tuesday, June 11th for the June 14th class and by the end of the day on Tuesday, August 13 for the August 16th class). The property sketch should have the registrant’s name in large, bold letters on the sketch in a spot that will be included when it is photographed or copied and sent to Pat.  Photograph the property sketch (so that your name on the sketch shows up), and e-mail the jpg or pdf scan to Pat Sutton (Pat’s e-mail is at the top of her Landscape Design HANDOUT received upon registration). In the e-mail subject line registrants should enter: “Landscape Design – June 14 or August 16 (whichever day/class they signed up for) – their full name.”  If you feel more comfortable sending Pat a few photos of the area you would like to transform into a native plant habitat, by all means send photos instead, but please don’t crash her computer with many HUGE photos. If you have any questions, reach out to Pat (but hopefully everything is explained in her handout and these instructions).

The first half of the class will cover resources and a slide program about the topic. During the second half of the class the group will brainstorm the projected images of each participant’s rough sketch. This brainstorming session should result in participants heading home with ideas and plans to enhance each of their properties for pollinators and birds.

Happy Wildlife Gardening,
Pat

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Doug Tallamy in Avalon, NJ, on Mon., August 26, 2024 (7 pm)

Hi Gang,

Doug Tallamy is returning to Avalon, NJ, this August to present a brand new program.  I’m intrigued and looking forward to hearing it.  Like me, he gets e-mails, calls, and requests to answer questions folks have.  Often, these requests are from folks who have read his 4 excellent books, heard him speak, jumped in to planting native plants, but they want and need more information.  Well, Doug Tallamy plans to include many of those questions and his answers in this new program.  Mark your calendar and don’t miss it!

Monday, August 26, 2024
7:00 p.m.
Doug Tallamy presents:
“I Know You’re Very Busy but  …
I want to learn more about nature gardening”
WHERE: Avalon Community Center
3001 Avalon Avenue
Avalon, NJ 08202
FREE, no preregistration needed

ABOUT THIS PROGRAM in Doug Tallamy’s words:  Nearly every day I get emails from people who have read my books and heard my talks and yet still have questions about ecological landscaping. These are good, thoughtful questions about ecology and evolution, biodiversity, invasive species, insect declines, native and non-native plants, conservation and restoration, residential and city landscapes, urban issues, oak biology, keystone plants, Homegrown National Park, monarchs, supporting wildlife at home, and more. In this talk I address as many of these queries as I can with hope that my answers will further motivate people to help restore ecosystem function where they live, work, play, worship, and farm.

Doug Tallamy is the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 111 research publications and has taught insect-related courses for 41 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His books include Bringing Nature Home, The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, Nature’s Best Hope, a New York Times Best Seller and The Nature of Oaks, which won the American Horticultural Society’s 2022 award. In 2021 he cofounded Homegrown National Park with Michelle Alfandari. His awards include recognition from The Garden Writer’s Association, Audubon, The National Wildlife Federation, Allegheny College, Ecoforesters, The Garden Club of America and The American Horticultural Association.

This program is sponsored by the Avalon Environmental Commission and the Avalon Free Public Library.

Change the course of dwindling bird, butterfly, and moth numbers by gardening for LIFE with native plants.  Learn from the guru who has taught so many so much, Doug Tallamy: Entomologist, professor at the University of Delaware, and author of four  highly educational, eye-opening, and award-winning books.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Doug Tallamy speak.  Too, please spread the word.  Let’s grow our numbers!    Bring your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, and your landscaper (so you can speak the same language)!

Pat