Ready to wing it? Roger’s Gardens plans ‘Hummingbird Summer’ event to benefit wildlife

With their quick-moving wings flapping up to 200 times a second while sometimes buzzing around and feasting on colorful flowers, hummingbirds can easily brighten a day.

In addition to beauty, hummingbirds in a garden are a good sign of ecological health, according to Ron Vanderhoff, vice president and general manager of Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar.

“Hummingbirds are vital pollinators, playing a crucial role in maintaining the health and diversity of ecosystems,” Vanderhoff said. “Their unique feeding habits, involving long bills and tongues for nectar, show their co-evolution with specific flowering plants, and make them highly effective pollinators. And because of this co-evolution many plants rely exclusively on hummingbirds for pollination and their reproduction.

“Beyond pollination, hummingbirds also help control insect populations by feeding on small insects and spiders. Because of their highly developed sensitivity to environmental changes, hummingbirds are an excellent indicator of overall environmental health.”

It’s this kind of education and appreciation of these speedy little birds that Roger’s Gardens hopes to relay at its annual Hummingbird Summer event, which is in its fifth year. The event runs July 11 through Aug. 10, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily with display areas full of hummingbird-friendly plants like cuphea, sages, penstemons and pentas to attract the birds.

Pentas are among the hummingbird-friendly plants that will be offered at Roger’s Gardens during its Hummingbird Summer event.

(Courtesy of Roger’s Gardens)

Members of the Sea and Sage Audubon Society, an Orange County chapter of the National Audubon Society, will be there on some weekends with displays and information about hummingbirds and hummingbird gardening. Roger’s Gardens staff can also answer questions about gardening for hummingbirds, a nonprofit with a mission to protect birds, other wildlife and their habitats through education, citizen science, research and public policy advocacy. Shoppers can round up their purchase to the nearest dollar and Roger’s Gardens has pledged to match the donation.

“Our local Sea and Sage Audubon chapter is one of the most active in the state and is deeply involved in bird and wildlife conservation, wildlife gardening, bird science and research, environmental education and more. We are particularly supportive of Sea and Sage’s youth education programs, including their youth summer camps, which are going on right now,” Vanderhoff said. “The funds that we raise during our Hummingbird Summer campaign are fully donated to our local Sea and Sage Audubon chapter. These donations now exceed $30,000 and are still growing.”

Vanderhoff said some species of hummingbirds, such as the Anna’s and Allen’s hummingbird, are doing relatively well and even expanding their range in Orange County. He said this is especially due to the popularity of hummingbird-friendly plants and hummingbird feeders in gardens.

An Allen’s hummingbird feeds of flowers at Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach.

(File Photo)

“However, it is important to note that hummingbirds as a whole are facing challenges and threats, especially with regards to climate change and habitat loss,” he said. “Climate change, with rising temperatures, impacts hummingbirds by causing them to seek higher, cooler elevations. Climate change also changes the timing of flower blooms, which can negatively impact hummingbirds. Outside of our urban areas, habitat loss and increased wildfires are reducing the amount of suitable habitat our wild hummingbirds need for breeding, nesting and food. Lastly, pesticide use, especially in gardens, can pose health risks to hummingbirds.”

There are some ways locals can help conserve hummingbirds and their habitats. He said to start with awareness of the plants that support hummingbirds and finding a few of those for your own garden.

“Hummingbirds have very specialized feeding needs, so learn the plants that provide them the most nectar and incorporate some of these into your own garden and your community’s common areas,” he said. “But also remember, that adult hummingbirds also feed on small insects, so encourage other wildlife, pollinators and biodiversity in your landscape. And discourage overuse of pesticides. Hummingbirds will benefit.”

Hummingbird feeders will be plentiful during Hummingbird Summer at Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar.

(Courtesy of Roger’s Gardens)

Vanderhoff said beyond Anna’s and Allen’s hummingbirds, five other species have been recorded in Orange County: Costa’s, black-chinned, rufous, Calliope and the rare broad-tailed hummingbird. He said because of the abundance of flowering nectar plants in Newport Beach and Corona del Mar landscapes, the area has a very high density of hummingbirds — higher than many other locations.

“The two species you will see 99% of the time will be Anna’s and Allen’s hummingbirds,” he said. “Anna’s and Allen’s hummingbirds can be distinguished by their colors, particularly in the males, and by their voices. Male Anna’s hummingbirds have an iridescent red throat and crown, while male Allen’s hummingbirds have a reddish-orange throat and a coppery orange and green body. Females of both species are more difficult to distinguish, but Allen’s typically have more rufous (reddish-brown) coloration on their sides and tail, while Anna’s are more green and gray.

“Male Allen’s hummingbirds also produce a distinctive buzzing sound during their aerial displays, unlike the distinct vocalizations of the slightly larger Anna’s hummingbirds, with their sometimes high-flying and dive-bombing displays.”

Hummingbird facts and information will be readily available at Roger’s Gardens from July 11 through Aug. 10.

(Courtesy of Roger’s Gardens)

Trude Hurd, project director of education for Sea and Sage Audubon Society at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine, said people with yards can attract hummingbirds by providing a clean source of water and planting local California native plants with tubular flowers. Native plants include penstemons, manzanitas, hummingbird sage, California fuchsia and island snapdragon. Hurd said for year-round hummingbird activity, you can include plants that flower in winter, like manzanitas.

She said for information about specific plants, design ideas, caring for your garden, local nurseries and more, you can visit California Native Plant Society’s calscape.org.

“Did you know? Hummingbirds typically eat half their body weight in a day,” Hurd said. “This means hummingbirds will visit 1,000 to 2,000 flowers per day.”

Vanderhoff said hummingbirds are a great ambassador for anyone who wants to learn about nature.

“An enjoyment of hummingbirds seems to bridge all generations, every ethnicity, any income levels and cultivated lands or wild lands,” he said. “When people begin to understand hummingbirds and hummingbird ecology, they begin to understand and appreciate the natural world more deeply. So really, Roger’s Gardens promotes hummingbird gardening as a way to introduce and further someone’s interest in the natural world.”