Posted on 01/31/2026 6:26:44 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
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Where do hummingbirds rest or hide at night if it gets too cold, is there any way we can provide desirable shelter near the feeder?
Hay and straw are two different products. Hay is the long grass cut which includes the nourishing seeds and is used to feed livestock. Straw is the stalks, usually of grain crops, after harvest, which makes good ground cover for livestock in stalls and barns. Once swept up after livestock have relieved themselves on it, it can be added to composting remains.
Since you only have a small suburban yard, perhaps share it with a gardening neighbor. An interesting fact is that people use straw, NOT hay, bales if the old rectangular type for building sheds, homes and emergency shelters. Google “straw bale home or building construction” to see some very interesting building uses for those old style rectangular bales. There are some 100 year old homes that have survived.
I was recently Googling an article about Lectins and GI health. It was recommended not to eat whole grain bread as the Lectin level was too high, but use true sourdough bread rather than white bread. I still was eating whole grains as I don’t have GI issues, but then read there were other Lectin issues like having trouble losing weight and maintaining a slim body. Shxxxxxxt. So now I am avoiding Lectins and taking an anti Lectin supplement. I think it may be working, time will tell. I have always used butter rather than margarine, and now use more XV olive oil. Now I also have found, at Google, that butter fat provides butyric acid that is important for helping the right bacteria grow on the right fiber in the gut so they tell the brain, “we are full here, stop eating.” My favorite morning snack is now a little half & half on wild blueberries (frozen) and pomogranite ariles (little juicy red seeds). I don’t know which of my recent changes it is, but the effect on my gut has been impressive.
So your post made me curious - I love butter, but I am lactose intolerant so I make my own ghee, which takes out the lactose & casein. So what about butyric acid ... does ghee have it? The answer is “yes”!
Ghee Benefits VS Butter by Dr Axe (excellent article)
https://chocolatree.com/blogs/news/ghee-benefits-vs-butter-by-dr-axe
From link:
“Ghee Benefits vs. Butter Benefits
So how is ghee better than butter? Ghee has a unique nutrition profile without any lactose or casein, but rich in short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids and butyrate. For people who are lactose or casein-sensitive, they can use ghee because the process has removed these allergens. If you’ve been told to stay away from dairy and butter, experiment with ghee made from grass-fed beef!
Butter contains 12-15 percent medium and short-chain fatty acids, while ghee contains 25 percent or greater. The body actually metabolizes these fats in a different manner than long-chain fatty acids. The result? Medium and short chains are not associated with cardiovascular disease.”
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From ~Q: Ghee is very expensive to buy; however, you can easily make it with a pound of butter & about 30 minutes of your time. A pound of butter yields a pint of ghee, which does not need to be refrigerated. I would also strongly suggest a porcelain lined pot with a light color. You want to be able to see the milk solids when they drop to the bottom of the pan. The darker you let them get, the ‘nuttier’ the ghee will taste. I stop at a light to medium beige color. There are numerous videos on how to make ghee - watch a couple, then give it a try. Ghee is also my very favorite for greasing a baking pan - works great.
Here is a decent video on making ghee:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asLxQ0q2Z3w
A couple of important points, from the video & my own experience:
- use unsalted butter
- use a pot with a light bottom
- do not ‘stir’ - use something like a flat spatula to gently move foam aside to check on the bottom of the pan ... see when milk solids are settling out & keep an eye on their color
- I strain through a cloth in a wire a strainer which definitely catches everything & results in a very clear ghee - a beautiful gold color is perfect - it will solidify as it cools
- every time you get ghee out of the jar, use a clean, dry spoon
I see your name on this one! Aromatic rose oil blended into bitter-sweet chocolate with a sprinkling of edible rose petals.
( Something to have and eat as you stroll around on that someday trip to Kew Gardens!)
For that someday trip to the Missouri Botanical Gardens (store located 1/2 mile from the Garden Gates)!
I have always used this website and even posted my early sightings too. Costs nothing and fun to watch the migration north.
The 2026 page is up an if you scroll down you will see the current map.
https://www.hummingbirdcentral.com/hummingbird-migration-spring-2026-map.htm
Qiviut; Thank for that information on ghee! I have seen it on store shelves and it is expensive.
They might hide in an unoccupied tree hole but for the most part there is nothing they can do. Sometimes its a male that comes up too early, they eat like pigs and the when it gets cold again you don’t see them. They just die. Generally they are smart enough to follow the crowd and not rush to get north.
Try it ... you might like it! :-)
Fortunately I don’t have lactose intellerance issues. Three of my grandparents came from dairy raising farm holdings. Just before the recent major snow and ice storm, I went out and bought 2 gallons of milk for myself. A nice 8 day supply.
My dad drank gallons of milk, probably 2 a week, all of his life ... his love of milk stemmed from his childhood when his sister milked the family cow(s) & the fresh, unprocessed milk was kept cold in a spring house. As he aged into his nineties, people would ask him to what he attributed his longevity .... his answer was always “milk”. He passed away 22 days after his 100th birthday.
My mom grew up on a dairy farm & when we visited, Granny always had a Mason jar of fresh milk in the fridge & hot, homemade cinnamon rolls ready for us. Unfortunately, neither parent evidently passed on anything helpful to me as far as tolerating lactose is concerned .... consider yourself fortunate!
I wish my Chromebook could read those little bluish squares. Unfortunately it can’t, nor has any other computer I ever used. I wonder how many others here have that problem?
My paternal grandfather arrive here as a boy with family from Wales. Since his father inherited a shipyard and all the older siblings inherited land in a city, I suspect no dairy farm. To bad at 22 my great-grandfather could not manage a shipyard successfully. Nevertheless, that grandfather live to 98, and I recently was told two of his sisters lived to 103 and 104. Since I received this amazing news I have revised my life plans to well beyond my 87 years.
I will! The next time I go shopping and find butter on sale I will make some.
I usually set my hummingbird feeders out in early to mid April, but I use my sister in Florida as a gauge. When she starts seeing hummies, I add a few weeks and then set my feeders out. I always want to see the early bird scouts if I can get them my way.
We dropped Mrs. Augie's golf cart off at the Yamaha store Saturday morning so it can get a little bit of TLC while the weather is still cold and nasty. I need to get annual service done on the Kubota zero-turn before the grass starts growing again. Think I'll load it on the trailer after work today and take it to town first thing tomorrow morning.
Howard had another week of being a good boy. He didn't destroy anything and he didn't steal anything off the kitchen counter. He did lose another training collar (2nd one) so I had to buy more of those. I cleaned all of the shredded bedding out of his crate yesterday and gave him a worn-out comforter that would have otherwise been tossed into the garbage. It's still in one piece so I guess he likes it.
OMG what a couple of posers! Howard looks like he is barely tolerating the kitty. Glad you are resting up now. We might hit 40 tomorrow. Might.
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