Backyard Birds: Costa's hummingbird Calypte costae

Identification Tips: Length: 3 inches Long, straight, thin bill Small hummingbird Bright green back and crown White underparts with greenish flanks Adult male: Iridescent purple crown and gorget, with long pointed extension far down neck Entirely dark tail Female/Immature: White chin and underparts Dark tail with white tips on outer tail feathers This is a rare bird that we are fortunate to have in our area. You are much more likely to see it in the winter months. Adult males have an extravagant loop and dive display that tells other birds its species and fitness. Its total distribution in both breeding and nonbreeding seasons is small. This, combined with widespread habitat destruction and alteration, has landed this bird on the Audubon WatchList. Learn more about it here

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Drying Herbs Q & A :

The newsletter gives us a chance to answer questions that might be interesting to our readers. If you have something you would like to know, just reply to this email. A customer recently asked how they should go about drying herbs from their herb garden, and this is a simple plan for you to follow: Dry herbs such as basil, parsley, and sage to store through winter by cutting 6 -to 12-inch long stems, remove any dead or diseased leaves, and hang stems upside down in paper bags in a shaded, airy, cool location.   About starting perennial snapdragons: Start seeds of fragrant annuals such as snapdragon, stock, and sweet alyssum to transplant into the garden this fall. Keep seedlings well watered and once plants have 4 to 6 true leaves, transplant them into containers and garden beds.   Question: How do I know when to harvest my onions, and do I need to do anything special before storing them for later use? Answer: To harvest onions for storage, watch for when the tops begin to turn yellow and fall over. The bulbs should be in the two- to four-inch range. At that point you may wish to bend the foliage flat to the ground to speed up the maturing process. After about three weeks, or when the tops are totally dried up, dig them up. (Do not harvest when the soil is very wet, and be sure to harvest before the first frost.) Harvest on a dry, sunny day and lay the onions out to dry for an hour or so in the sun. Brush off any excess soil, then cure them by placing them in a single layer in the shade for about ten days. If conditions are inappropriate for outdoor drying, you may have to spread them out on the floor indoors under a fan. Finally, clip off the tops about an inch from the bulb and store in a cool dry place. Storage onion varieties will keep from 4-12 months when properly dried and stored.

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