Home Hunter July 21, 2013

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CYAN-AOOO MAGENTA-OAOO YELLOW-OOAO BLACK 012908

Diggin In: Hummingbirds are adelight for the eyesBy Kathy Van

MulleKoM

Daily Press (Newport News,Va.)/MCT

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. A cool, wet spring in manyparts of the country delayedthe arrival of hummingbirds,but you can be sure they

are now somewhere inyour garden, especially ifyou have a smorgasbord ofcolorful owers.

Hummingbirds, akahummers, dart, diveand delight you with theirfast-ying, acrobatic-likemaneuvers as they search fornectar among owers. Theyalso like feeders lled withplain sugar water.

I keep two hummingbirdfeeders in my yard, and havehad luck attracting themwith several plants: beebalm, salvia, fuchsia andnicotiana, says MarilynAdair, a gardener inYorktown, Va.

Ive also had hummerscome to pentas on my deck.

Along the East Coast , youllnd only one hummingbirdspecies, a migrant known asthe ruby-throated hummer,according to Tim Boucher, ageographer with the NatureConservancy. Meet andread about Tims birdingexplorations in the NatureConservancys magazine.

The ruby-throatedhummingbird migrates fromCentral America in April,breeds in the East, and leavesin the fall to go back to thetropics.

As you go south, you getmore species in Arizona

for instance, you get up to18 species some resident,some migratory.

In the tropics of SouthAmerica, there are hundredsof species of hummingbirds,and you can see over 25species at a single feeder inthe Andes of Ecuador.

Ruby-throated hummers

and others among theirspecies weigh less than anickel, and can t in the palmof your hand, according toSusan Summers, educationassociate at the VirginiaLiving Museum in NewportNews.

They can y at speeds up to29 miles per hour, and their

body structu re allows themto y forward, backward andto hover.

They have even beenobserved to throw asomersault every now andthen, Susan says.

Known to be long-distancemigrators, they y 18 to22 hours, especially whencrossing the Gulf of Mexico.To prepare for the journey,they feast on insects andspiders; along the way, nectargives them quick and easyfuel.

Often, their migrationis timed to coincide withowering plants along theirroutes; their favorites include

native species with red ororange tubular blooms. Youcan also hang mesh bagsof fruits or banana peels toattract fruit ies, anotherfavorite food source ofhummers. They also like asource of fresh water, suchas a birdbath for sipping andbathing.

Once they arrive attheir destination, they getbusy starting a family.Females make nests outof leafy materials woventogether with spider silkand decorated with lichens,according to Susan. Thefemale lays two bean-size eggs, and raises the

hatchlings herself fromnewborns to young adultswithin three weeks.

This year, the hummingbirdis the focus of the NationalWildlife Federation, whichencourages residentsliving in any kind ofhousing single-familyhome, apartment, condo

or townhouse to hangup a hummingbird feedersomewhere outdoors. Settinga pot of colorful owers nextto it also helps entice thesebeautiful creatures to yourspace, especially if you donthave a garden.

No, not only red owersattract hummers, says Tim.

Blue owers such assalvia, lungwort andagapanthus do a great jobof attracting hummers.Remember, you want to planta diversity of owers in yourgarden including owersthat bloom at differenttimes of the year fromspring to late fall to providesustenance for the littlegems. Include owers suchas columbines, bee balm,phlox, foxglove, fuchsia,honeysuckle, trumpetcreepers and goldenrod.

To keep hummingbirdscoming to your feeder, followthese sugar water feedertips, courtesy the National

Wildlife Federation:Dissolve one part white

sugar in four parts hot water.Boil the water if you

plan to store the nectar in therefrigerator.Never use honey, which

ferments easily, or articialsweeteners, which haveno food value for birds.Red food coloring is notrecommended because it maybe harmful to birds.

Let the solution cool toroom temperature beforeputting it in your feeder.You can store homemadenectar for up to a week in therefrigerator.Once you ll your feeder,

dont forget to empty, r inseand rell your feeder everytwo to three days (especiallyin warm weather) to preventspoiling. This ensures thathummingbirds wont becomesick from drinking badnectar.

In addition to nectar,hummers also eat insects

for protein and minerals,according to Tim. Theyeat all sorts of insects

mosquitoes, aphids, gnatsand caterpillars evenspiders.

Watch them carefully, andyou can see them hawkingfor ying insects they arevery good at catching themin ight, he says.

People are fascinated withhummers because they aresuch terric little iers. Notonly can they hover whenfeeding, but they are alsothe only species that can ybackward.

For more information andtips on gardening for wildlifeand certifying your yard asa Wildlife Habitat, with theNational Wildlife Federation.

The habitat programincludes a subscription tothe e-newsletter WildlifeOnline, a years membershipand subscription to NationalWildlife magazine, as wellas a 10 percent discount onwildlife federation catalogmerchandise.

The ruby-throated hummingbird, commonly seen along the East Coast, likes to feed fromnectar-producing plants, including trumpet creeper. (Courtesy Joey Herron/National WildlifeFederation/MCT)

Perky-Pets antique bottle hummingbird feeder holds 16 ounc-es of sugar water, and features a red glass bottle with pewteraccents and four feeding ports. (Courtesy Perky-Pet/MCT)

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Spotting trends at the contemporaryfurniture fair in New YorkBy Lisa BooneLos angeLes Times/

mCT

NEW YORK At thenations most inuentialexpo for home decor,designers continued to

push boundaries withinnovative materials and3-D technology, but thestandout looks were moreabout color, luxuriousnishes and, mostimportant, a sense of fun.

Right now, people aremore tempted to take arisk and buy somethingthat makes t hem happy,said Medora Danz, a

vice president with BluDot, one of the morethan 500 exhibitors at the

International ContemporaryFurniture Fair, whichclosed last week at JavitsCenter.

Designers andmanufacturers premieredfurniture, lighting anddecorative accessories thatwill hit stores and websitesduring the next 12 months.Here are six of the biggestemerging or ampliedtrends this year:

Vinyl:Fans of old LPs had much

to love. The Open/Close LPcabinet was a standout atWanted Design, a growingindependent showcase

staged a few blocks fromICFF in the Terminal Stores

build ing. Open/Close has

four soft-closing drawersfor albums, a center areafor your newest or most-

played vinyl, two shelvesfor components and a slide-out tabletop for iPads orother digital devices. Backat ICFF, Symbol Audioshowed its Stereo Console,due out this summer. The

built-i n speakers can playup to three devices, and

built-i n storage holds up to100 records.

Copper:Copper nishes continued

to be a trend, the returnof some sheen and sparkleto the post-recession

decorating landscape. Toplighting designer TomDixon showed his Base

Copper Lamp in table,oor and wall versions.Kaikado premiered a lineof copper tea canisters,and Iacoli & McAllisterscopper chandelier was ashowstopper.

Color:The bright mood at

ICFF took its most literalforms in color palettes.The felt Bespoke Acousticwall coverings by AnneKyyro Quinn not onlyabsorb sound but alsoarrest the eye. At the indieWanted Design showcase,the Salvadoran designcollective called the

Carrot Concept as well asMarkamoderna, won fanswith bright outdoor seating

and colorful textiles andaccessories.

Levity:Whimsical designs

prevai led. Cha rmingbedside table s and bookholders by Thing Industriestook the form of wall-mounted birdhouses. AtWanted, Debra Folz showedoak stools braided withcolorful leather spiralstrips, and Sinje Ollencovered an Arne JacobsenEgg Chair in hand-knitted,hand-dyed merino wool.

LEDs:The slow, inevitable

march to energy-efcientlighting took more stepsforward as designers found

new ways of conguringtiny LEDs, including theHeracleum II, designed byBertjan Pot for the Dutchgroup Moooi. At Luceplanin SoHo, the modularSynapse light designed byFrancisco Gomez Paz can

be constructed as a remote-controlled wall partition.

Gray woods:If it wasnt ofcial before,

it is now: Gray wood isthe new chocolate brown.Blu Dot was among thecompanies to show piecesin smoked ash.



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