|
|
| www.1001TopWords.com |
|
|
Homemade Hummingbird Nectar
HUMMINGBIRD NECTAR RECIPE We love hummingbirds and love to watch them throughout the day, especially after a long day, relaxing in our backyard nature retreat. We have 4 feeders that are strategically located throughout our gardens. The red, hummingbird nectar feeders ( red attracts hummingbirds) are placed in areas that are naturally defined "territories" ( as you know, hummingbirds are very territorial) which helps cut down on the fighting. Our recipe is derived from the old standard recipe, but please be aware that a lot of research has gone into making sure that we are providing the most beneficial source of hummingbird food replacement. Our recipe starts with cane sugar. As you know, there are two sources of sugar: cane sugar and beet sugar, of which 70% of the world's supply comes from cane sugar. Both are chemically "sucrose" and fall into the carbohydrate family. Carbohydrates are easily digested and provide the immediate "energy boost" that hummingbirds need to sustain their incredibly high metabolism. (Comment: I guess if we humans had that kind of metabolism we wouldn't be facing our obesity crisis! Wow?what a concept ?more exercise?increased metabolic rate ?burn more calories ?less fat). Sorry! Back to the topic?the second constituent our hummingbird food recipe is water. Ever thought about the type of water you use for your hummingbird food? We have. The hummingbird's source water comes from the naturally occurring water sources available: dew, rain water and deposits of rain water, people provided (bird baths), and finally that provided in the hummingbird's diet. We use our tap water which is supplied from our well. The water's chemical composition is generally hard ( contains calcium and magnesium) but has a TDS ( Total Dissolved Solids) of 275 ppm with no measurable concentrations of lead or arsenic. Its safe for us to drink so the hummers get the benefits of some added minerals. We feel its better than using distilled or purified water in our hummingbird recipe. Now, if you're a city dweller, you may have chlorine or flouride added to your water. I'd recommend boiling that water to flash off the chlorine or flouride, 5 minutes of boiling should be sufficient. Next ingredient ?.RED COLORING?.No way! Lets look at it from a hummingbird's perspective. They like red and are attracted to the color due to genetics and environmental stimuli ? flowers. If your hummingbird feeder is red? why do you need more? Naturally occurring nectar is clear and odorless ( Hummingbirds are not attracted by scent). So why buy these colored or scented mixes? The red coloring (Red #40) has been banned in countries due to its mutagenic properties ( can cause cancer). Why would you want to introduce chemicals into the hummingbird's diet that are foreign to their digestive system? Several experienced, licensed wildlife rehabilitators have reported seeing disturbing damage in hummers that were known to use dyed syrup, including tumors of the bill and liver. Here is our researched hummingbird food recipe: 1 part cane sugar/ 4 parts water ( no chlorine or fluoride)Measure and add sugar, at the rate of 1/4 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water. Let cool and store excess in refrigerator until ready to use. Fill one-third of the container and be sure to change the mixture twice a week. You will need to clean your feeder every few days, with hot water and a mild (10%) bleach solution to inhibit bacteria/mold. Rinse thoroughly before refilling with water syrup. Hope you enjoyed the article! George Steiner George and wife Judy are empty nesters (ah ha no wonder the affinity for birds!)who enjoy the outdoors, stained glass and eagerly awaiting for the truckloads of laundry that their two college daughters bring home. Of recent, the internet has played an integral part in George's lengthening "To Do" list and Judy's search for a internet rehabilitation center.
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Growing Vegetables in Containers - The Compact Solution Container vegetable gardens are a great alternative for those that don't have access to backyards. There can be a range of reasons to grow your vegetables in containers...easy access to the kitchen, safer environments for children and the handicapped or just lack of a yard to use for gardening. How to Build a Waterfall For Your Garden Pond Building a waterfall is easier than you think and will add a new dimension to your pool. Environmentally Safe Ways to Remove Weeds There is a lot of concern about herbicides and what they are doing to our environment. Large amounts of chemicals leech into our groundwater polluting our water supply. Cancers and strange diseases with no apparent cause are being linked to chemicals and pollutants in our environment. So how do we control all those pesky weeds in our perfectly manicured landscapes? I will outline several different ways to eradicate weeds without polluting our environment. Adirondack Chairs - How to Choose One In Blue Mountain Lake, New York, you will find a unique museum called the Adirondack Museum. According to the experts that run this museum, the Adirondack chair was originally called the Westport chair, named after a small town located nearby Adirondack Mountains. The design of the chair was first created back in 1900 by Thomas Lee. On a mission of designing a chair that could be used indoors or outdoors and one that was overly comfortable, he began his work, using standard boards and nails. Lap Pools ? Great Exercise Inside Or Any Size Backyard Do you love swimming? Do you dream of an in ground pool in your backyard; but you just don't have the room for it? If space is an issue; in ground lap pools allow you the exercise you desire for any size backyard. They are so great because they allow you to go swimming and get some exercise in a very small space. It doesn't matter if you own a mansion or have a small backyard. Lap pools are versatile in their style and design and you can configure your own pool to the size and shape of backyard you have. A lap pool was once typically a long and narrow pool and usually only 3 feet deep. Sizes range everything from 6 x 30 to 12 x 44. It was meant purely for the enjoyment to swim back and forth. Health spas or gyms often have these types of pools because they are meant for exercise instead of just recreation. Since they are just for this purpose; more space is needed for these pools, but you can customize them to fit right alongside the house. You can also configure the pool to be an L shape or whatever is needed for your space. If you don't want this kind of in ground pool for doing laps there are other choices available to the homeowner. 5 Simple Steps to Care For Your Push Reel Mower Though most Push Reel Mowers made today are durable, they do require some basic care and simple maintenance in order to keep them running smoothly. Taking the following steps will ensure you have years of use on your push reel mower.Wipe the blades clean after each use. This helps prevent moisture from the grass from staying on the blades and causing (over time) rust, or dulling the blades. You can use a cloth, brush, or small towel. Periodically oil the moving parts. Do this before your first cutting of the season, then periodically throughout the season if it looks as though the mower needs it. This helps the moving parts to continue to work smoothly. Clean the yard of debris before each use. This helps the blades maintain their sharpness by not having to "chew" on small sticks.Check for, and tighten any loose parts. Do this at the beginning and end of the mowing season. This helps ensure you don't lose any loose parts in the lawn while cutting. This is a rare occurrence but an inspection of the mower is simple, fast, and could be worth it in the long run.Watch what you're doing! Don't bang the mower into fence posts, rocks, or other immovable objects while cutting since this may damage the mower and/or the blades. It's better to either move the object, or, use an edger after you've finished mowing.If you follow these 5 simple steps, you will ensure a long and productive life for your push reel mower. Colour in the Garden Colour affects our emotions, moods, physical, and spiritual well-being. It has a significant effect on everything we eat, drink, and touch and influences our physical environment including our home, office, and garden. Colour reflects our personalities. The colours we prefer for home interiors carried out to the garden, provide continuity between our interior and exterior living spaces. Colours are a useful tool in creating different moods in the landscape. In order to effectively create with colour it is important to understand the meaning of the different colours. Make The Most From Your Vegetable Garden All your hard work has paid off, and now you are presented with a dilemma, too many vegetables! After sharing your wealth with friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and anyone that happens to come to visit, there are alternative options of what you can do with your extensive supply of tomatoes, zucchini and other bountiful crops that will bring great joy to the community around you. Mosquito Farms? Is That What Water Gardens Are? What is nicer that a lovely backyard garden pond. The lush growth rising above the water, graceful fish darting about and the soothing sound of the water. These are just a few of the reasons people are drawn to water gardens. Hot Feeding Tips Summer is the most enjoyable water gardening season and the timeto watch for potential problems caused by high water temperaturesduring extreme or extended hot periods. The Truth About Tulips Roses may be beautiful but Tulips are magnificent. The huge colorful blooms we associate with Holland make stunning bouquets.Did you know that Tulips did NOT originate from Holland? Actually, most species of wild tulips came from central asia and western asia. Tulips that originated in Europe were mainly from the Mediterranean.How much would YOU pay for a tulip bulb? Did you know way back in 1635, a single tulip bulb could fetch the equivalent of $35,000 in present day money. No other flower ever generated such an insane following. But why?Part of it is due to the beauty of the flower and the rarity of the tulip back in those days. It became a status symbol. People wanted to outdo one another with tulips. So the demand for tulips went sky high. The insanity that came next can be compared to the insanity in the stock market prior to stock market crashes. Investors would then buy tulips at ridiculous to sell at even crazier prices. Needless to say, when the inevitable crash came, fortunes were lost. Lessons learnt from that incident can be applied to the stock market today. Same thing happened in the dot com boom and bust. Same thing is going to happen over and over again. Greed leading to blindness. The only remedy is to keep your eyes open and look at the facts. The important thing is how much something is really worth. Not what others say it would be worth in the future.Tulips are valued for their beauty. They are treasured across nations. The Dutch crown princess fled to Canada for refuge during the world war. At the end of the war, Tulips became their gift of friendship. The Dutch gave Canada 1 million tulips in gratitude for the friendship displayed in the war. Such is the value of Tulips. Tulips are considered to be a symbol of friendship. Even today, you can see that magnificent display of Tulips in Canada. Reminding one about friendship in times of need.These days, tulips are no longer as expensive as back then. An entire garden blooming with tulips during spring time is very affordable. All you need are some great tulip bulbs.Tulips bloom after snow. So if you live where there is snow, then plant them in September. Tulips need the cold before then can bloom. If the winters are harsh, then cover the bulbs with straw or leaves. Uncover them in spring.What do you do if you live where there is no snow?Well, if you have a refrigerator, use it. Put the tulip bulbs in a paper bag and refrigerate it for 6 to 8 weeks, but keep them away from the fruit. Then plant the tulips. Bottle Gardening or Terrarium - Design and Maintenance Women take pride in home decoration and gardening and want some unique and prized possessions that are not part of the neighboring dwellings. Gardening offers opening as there is no end to creativity, especially in the fields of flower arrangement, bonsai, mini-rock garden etc. But a sure and unique possession is a bottle garden. Many of us have seen a ship inside a bottle. This creative craft has given rise to the concept of bottle gardening. Bottle gardening can be compared to an aquarium where fishes survive with regular inputs of water and feed. Like wise, a bottle garden has the essential requirements of soil and water for the survival of plants that are housed in it, but with occasional care and maintenance. Apart from these essential requirements, the bottle garden has reservoir of water which keeps readily available moisture to the plant and also enables a humid environment in the bottle. Bottle gardens if effectively designed can fetch very high price. Selection of plants to be planted for the bottle garden is very important and in quite a few cases people fail to appreciate this fact and try to incorporate any plant they can lay hands up on! An ideal bottle plant is of slow growth and dwarf habit. Because combinations of plants are housed in a bottle garden all the plants selected must be slow growing and dwarf, so that smothering can be avoided. Extremes of temperatures should be avoided and hence the bottle garden should be placed in such a location where there is adequate availability of sunlight. Also the soil or the compost, used in bottle gardens be just adequate for survival of the plants and should not induce vigorous growth. Plant Hardiness Zones When selecting plants for the landscape, is important to select plants that will grow in your climate. The United States has 10 of growing or climate zones. These zones range from the zone 1 in the extreme northern part of United States, to his own 10, which covers the southernmost part. Zone 1, is for the most hardiest of cold weather plants. Temperatures in zone 1 can reach 50 degrees below 0. Zone 10 on the other hand, is is a more tropical climate. Zone 10 plants only need to worry about cold temperatures of 30 to 40 degrees. Gardenscape On A Shoestring Many of us flip through garden magazines, all the while thinking that it takes years, a professional, or tons of money to landscape the gardens featured in the glossy pictures. This isn't necessarily true. You can design a breathtaking garden and be the envy of the neighborhood by following some of the following tips. Are You Being Taken Advantage of when Ordering Flowers Online? Did you know that you can send flowers many different ways on the internet? With a few different options of delivering and ordering flowers online, you must be aware of security and safety of your personal information. Not only that, but you could be left with disappointing flowers for your event if you choose the wrong online florist. Many florists online have created websites that lead consumers to believe that they are "local florists." Although you believe they are located in your area, many of them work in call centers far away from you or your flower recipient. With the following tips to sending your flowers online, you can be sure your flowers will get to your destination from a reliable and real professional florist group. Pest Control Tips for Maintaining Your Greenhouse Greenhouses provide a warm, humid atmosphere and are home to a variety of different plants and flowers which is why they are a perfect target for insects. There are numerous types of insects which will want to live in your greenhouse and feed off of the wonderful plants and flowers which you have put so much time and effort into maintaining. The information below will provide you with tips and guidelines to follow in order to ensure you are doing everything in your power to ward off any unwanted pests. Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction To Hydroponics Gardening For Beginners (part 4) Environment THE BASICS OF HYDROPONICS. Planting Roses in Pots In years past, serious rosarians would never consider having a potted rose on their property unless it was just waiting for its home to be prepared in the garden. Moss on Lawns Just about right now, we start to see moss on lawns and the plaintive cry goes up, "How do we stop it?" The Amazing Hummingbird Without a doubt, hummingbirds are beautiful and interesting creatures.
|
| © Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |
