August is a big month for hummingbird activity here in Minnesota. Having finished nesting duties, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds start showing up at feeders more frequently as they begin to wind their way south.
Often they will stay a few days and defend a food source such as a sugar water feeder.
Here is the silhouette of a hummer being territorial over food as he guards a stand of flowers below.
And not just any flowers but Jewelweed, a favorite late summer food of hummingbirds. This plant is highly prized by the hummers who will fight over who have access to these clumps of flowers.
In the right conditions of moisture and shade, dense mounds of Jewelweed will easily crowd out other plants that may be less desirable. No worry about what to do with so many plants as Jewelweed will shrivel and particularly disappear with the first frost leaving no plant material to have to cut down or rake in the spring.
For the next 6 weeks it will be time to tune into the hummingbird antics as they jostle one another at the feeders.
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