Girl Scout Troop 6530 is making the environment a priority. Emerald Keepers met them at the Coronado Flower Show where they were handing out California wildflower seeds to visitors to their booth and educating them about hummingbirds for their Bronze Award. They helped visitors “make & take” hummingbird perches. Their adorable little booklet about these tiny, feathered wonders was filled with interesting facts and information:
· Thousands of native plants rely on hummingbirds for pollination.
· Hummingbirds are called nectivores because 90% of their diet is the nectar from flowers.
· Hummingbirds can fly in all directions – even backwards.
· Hummingbirds are drawn to the color red because it is easy for them to see.
· When hummingbirds eat, pollen sticks to them. When they visit another flower, it falls off them and pollinates the plant.
· If you are going to use a hummingbird feeder, use a glass one and change the sugar-water every other day (3 parts water, 1 part sugar).
· Native plants are important to hummingbird diets.
· Plant tall shrubs and vines on which for hummingbirds to perch. Small trees make great nesting sites for them.
These Scouts encourage you to make Coronado hummingbird friendly and enjoy the three different species found in Coronado backyards.
Congratulations, Troop 6530, on being our Emerald Keepers of the Month!
