Date: 6/8/26 6:12 am From: Nancy L Newfield via groups.io <nancy...> Subject: Re: [labird] For Hummer Gardeners
Well, Bill, some folks really don't know when to quit . . . some years ago,
I retired from organizing tours and from public speaking, but on the 1st of
August I will celebrate the initiation of my 49th year of banding
hummingbirds. So, a 5-year project, begun in 1979, has grown into a
legitimate OBSESSION!
NLN
On Mon, Jun 8, 2026 at 7:29 AM bill fontenot <
<williamrodneyfontenot...> wrote:
> Paul, Nancy, et al —
>
> Had no idea y’all were carrying on this important work!
>
> As climate continues to change, it’s hummingbird movements across the U.S.
> and Mexico have widespread and gradually morphing into new patterns that
> we’ve begun detecting thanks to the efforts of banders and our. winter
> census work. Ebbird has also been helpful re: not only U.S. winter records
> but also those post-breeding (?) Mexican species that are wandering here in
> summer.
>
> Hummer gardeners can assist by continuing to trial nectar plants to see
> which may become useful as time rolls on.
>
> Bill Fontenot
> 500 Saint Catherine St.
> Lafayette, LA 70506
>
> > On Jun 7, 2026, at 2:33 PM, Paul Dicksonaa <Paul...>
> wrote:
> >
> > This sounds like a humnet revival. I sure hope so.
> > I have the stoloniferous, actually tuberiferous, species as well. I also
> have planted all of the recent well marketed hybrids with a variety of
> trade names borrowing from the Roman Empire to Elvis. The new hybrids are
> beautiful and strong plants that are easy to grow. The flowers hold for
> days. Hummingbirds are not so impressed as garden consumers are. They
> produce standard salvia nectar which is 26% unless sun evaporated to
> higher values. I suspect that the reason I see the hummers using the
> species and older hybrids more is because of length of time the new hybrids
> hold their blooms, perhaps longer than they produce nectar. I am a
> Demcheck nectar student too and still add to my 20 year old spreadsheet
> which has been through a lot versions of excel by now. Sometimes when I
> stick a glass pipette into the new hybrids, I get nothing. I always get 10
> microliters or more from the species so long as I’m not behind a
> hummingbird. (Yes, it is possible to get ahead of a hummingbird.) So what
> Bill is offering out is the good stuff, as usual.
> > Paul Dickson
> >
> >
> > From: <labird...> <labird...> On Behalf Of Nancy L Newfield
> via groups.io
> > Sent: Sunday, June 7, 2026 10:07 AM
> > To: <williamrodneyfontenot...>
> > Cc: Labird <labird...>
> > Subject: Re: [labird] For Hummer Gardeners
> >
> > Bill,
> >
> > I've grown this plant since the early 1980s and when you offered, I was
> > tempted because I thought that I had lost my original stock. HOWEVER, I
> > just noticed one blooming in one of my less tended garden areas. My
> > original plant came from the late Rich Dufresne.
> >
> > Dennis's nectar study fascinated me, so I 'borrowed' the concept and have
> > compiled about 10 single-spaced pages of data.
> >
> > NLN
> >
> >> On Wed, May 20, 2026 at 11:21 AM Bill Fontenot via groups.io<
> http://groups.io> > >> <williamrodneyfontenot...><mailto:williamrodneyfontenot > =<gmail.com...>> wrote:
> >>
> >> I’ve got the old-school cultivar of anise sage (Salvia guaranitica) for
> >> anyone who would like some. Just contact me via email and let me know
> when
> >> you’ll be around. This cultivar (might actually be the straight species)
> >> blooms all spring and summer into the fall. It grows 30-36” tall. This
> one
> >> runs via stolons to form sizable colonies (up to 10-12’ if allowed).
> >>
> >> Years ago Dennis Demchek did a sugar content study of all LA hummer
> >> plants. At 30% sugar content, anise sage blew away all other plants —
> most
> >> of which ranged between 12-20%.!Drought and flood tolerant, blooms
> nicely
> >> in sun or shade, and completely winter-hardy up through zone 6.
> >>
> >> Bill Fontenot
> >> 500 Saint Catherine St.
> >> Lafayette, LA 70506
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> > --
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > Nancy L Newfield
> > Casa Colibrí
> > Metairie, Louisiana USA
> > <nancy...><mailto:<nancy...> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
<nancy...>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
