DC/Seasons of Parenting

A child-friendly project, a very big kindness (super simple recipe)

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Ruby-throated hummingbirds migrate. They visit Midwest feeders from late spring to early fall. Here is an easy recipe for their food. With an adult’s help, put 1/2 cup of white granulated sugar and 2 cups of plain tap water into a pot on the stove. Bring to a boil then continue boiling for 1 minute without a lid on the pot. Remove from the heat, let cool, and pour into a clean feeder. Change mixture every few days in hot weather to keep this fresh and nutritious.

It’s that time again. Sauna-hot days and downpour rainstorms challenge hummingbirds to store the necessary calories for their long trip ahead. Help children make the nectar, hang an inexpensive feeder, and keep it filled with fresh sugar water, no food coloring, all summer long to encourage our smallest flyers. (Recipe above.)

Position your feeder out of walkways and high-traffic feeding stations for other birds, keep it filled and fresh with new nectar every 3 days or so during the hottest days, and hummingbirds will reward you by returning year after year. Bonus: keep a pair of binoculars near a good viewing window for all to see the striking detail and brilliant colors of their feathers, how they sip through their “straws,” and how deftly they dart in and out of view.

 

10 comments

    • We do. Many live here, and several stop by en route to seasonal destinations. Our problem here is neighbors who clear habitats and spray poisons. It’s heartbreaking and all too common. Your peaceful, natural home looks lovely for any and all.

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