The Henderson Hummingbird Garden is an oasis positioned in a park on the edge of the historic town of Henderson, Minnesota; adjacent to the beautifully wooded Minnesota River Valley, where our editor had the hummingbird time of his life last week. We wanted to share his excitement and a few of his photographs with you, and encourage you to seek out a hummingbird garden, or plant one of your own. You can get more information about the hummingbird garden and the impressive selection of flowering plants growing there from the new National Ruby-throated Hummingbird Center, also located in Henderson!
It's all a part of the work of an expanding team of active volunteers who initiated the Henderson Hummingbird Garden in 2010, and while it is not an expansive garden – about the size of a large backyard – it is an absolute hummingbird magnet, as are each of the flowering plants that are beautifully arranged and meticulously cared for in the garden. While the thousands of flowers blooming now provide ample feeding locations for the many Ruby-throated Hummingbirds on hand, a dozen hummingbird feeders are scattered throughout the garden to add another level of backyard birding to this garden oasis for birds and people.
Flower-lined walkways provide easy access for visitors to walk through mixed plantings of beautiful flowers that include salvia, trumpet flowers, canna lilies, petunias, cleome, and more colored in shades of red, pink, violet, yellow, and orange. There are hummingbirds darting among them in every direction you look – at least that was the case last week and for coming days and potentially weeks as Ruby-throated Hummingbirds make migration stopovers.
There are quaint benches, chairs, tables, arbors, and other resting places where you can absorb the tranquility or zooming action of the Ruby-throats. I spent 4 hours at the Garden last Wednesday evening and Thursday morning (2½ and 1½ hours each day) and enjoyed every moment, observing and learning more about hummingbird behavior, and photographing hummers among the nectar-producing flowers and at nectar feeders – I was immersed, and oh what fun it was!
Many homeowners in the small town of Henderson have also embraced providing hummingbird habitat at some level in their yards, and now the town is home to the new National Ruby-throated Hummingbird Center! The Center is based on a hilltop in a stylishly large building surrounded by more flowering plants, nectar feeders, and you guessed it – more hummingbirds. In addition to providing a meeting room that can also be used for lunches and banquets, there is a video and exhibit room, many displays, and areas for children's activities; all this, along with a gift shop, and a large outdoor deck with a view of the historic town and Minnesota River Valley.
At the same time, the National Ruby-throated Hummingbird Center is just getting started, and you can be sure there is much more to come considering the efforts of the active and dedicated group of people involved, plus anyone anywhere can become a member of the National Center. And that's not all, there is the Henderson Hummingbird Hurrah, which is the annual birding festival held the third Saturday of August each year that features guest speakers, hummingbird banding demonstrations, guided tours of area gardens, family and children's activities, educational displays, raffle prizes, and a vendor mall – and it's all Free. Learn more at Henderson Hummingbird Hurrah – Birds, Butterflies & Blooms and Henderson Hummingbird Center – Henderson Hummingbird Hurrah
If this particular hummingbird garden is located a bit out of your range during peak hummingbird migration, try searching out a hummingbird garden closer to home, or consider expanding your flower garden into a full-on hummingbird garden. You can get more information about plants and other garden planning from master gardeners at the National Ruby-throated Hummingbird Center too. For the record, the Henderson Hummingbird Garden in south-central Minnesota is a gem of a birding destination, and now with the addition of the National Ruby-throated Hummingbird Center, the fun has just begun.
Article and Photos by Paul Konrad
Share your backyard birding experiences and photos with The Birding Wire at editorstbw2@gmail.com