We always remind people to leave at least one feeder up over the winter if they can maintain it but since I had a female hummer arrived here after our snowstorm on Oct. 16th who won't use or doens't know how to use a feeder, it set me to thinking that a lot of people start cutting their plants back in the fall or pulling them out completely before the frost takes them.

I would like to encourage people to leave those plants alone if they are still blooming because it may provide the necessary nourishment for our late migrators who don't go to the feeders. Many of my plants were flattened by the heavy wet snow and I was very close to going out and ripping many out to tidy things up after the storm. Since the ground was so saturated my intentions were thankfully thwarted and because of it my plants including many of the flattened ones are providing the necessary food for my little late migrant. So if at all possible leave those plants that still could bloom for as long as possible. Right now I know of 3 others in the Great Lakes region beside myself who are still hosting migrant Rubythroats. These hummers will still need food sources as they head south. Please also encourage your friends, family and neighbors to leave their plants intact for our migrating birds.

Penny