The February program, ‘All About Hummingbirds’, for the Nora Lancaster Garden Club was presented by Dr. Carolyn Wells. She earned her Master’s Degree and Ph.D. from Emory University in Atlanta, GA, was a Postdoctoral Fellow of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN, is a retired Longwood University professor of Biology, 1968-2000 and distinguished in many areas in the Farmville community.

There are 17 species of hummingbirds. Only one breeds in Virginia, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. It is about three inches long and weighs 1/10th of an ounce (the weight of three paper clips). The female is a muted color whereas the male has the bright red, ruby-throat that is a reflection of light off the prisms on the feathers. This diverse color is called sexual dimorphism, where the male can distract their preditors such as snakes and other birds. These hummingbirds builds small nests the size of a thimble out of pine resin, dandelion and milk thistle weed, and old spider webs to allow the nest to stretch when the young are born. They lay 1-2 eggs the size of a jelly bean. These little birds migrate from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico all the way across the Gulf of Mexico to Florida and North. Hummingbirds hover and can fly straight up, down, left or right at any moment. Be on the lookout; they arrive the first of April in Virginia. Make your own sugar water which is better than the commercial product. One tablespoon sugar to 4 parts water which would be 1 cup water to 1/4 cup sugar. Let it boil and stir. Exhibit Awards for “Something Small” were: Jane Crute- two blue, Tricia Crute- one blue, Lazelle Jackson- one blue, Rebecca Kelly- three blue, Vicky Morris- one blue, Judy O’Steen- one blue, Brenda Puryear- seven blue and Barbara Smith- one blue.

Horticulture Awards were: Jane Clark- one blue, three red, Jane Crute- one blue, Tricia Crute- one blue, Rebecca Kelly- three blue, Judy O’Steen- one blue, Brenda Puryear- three blue, and Barbara Smith- three blue.