CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Most yards are looking bare right now, dead plants instead of what should be blooming beautiful vegetation.
Aside from being an eye sore it is also impacting the pollinators across our region.
"Since the freeze, I have been here almost every single day for a solid week, and I have not heard and I have not seen a single hummingbird," said biologist Jeff Brown.
The other concern according to one organization is the Ruby-throated hummingbird will be migrating from Mexico making their way to the Coastal Bend this month. Followed by the monarchs traveling North and when they get here, they wont be able to gas up says Brown.
"Hummingbirds can go to sleep for 24 hours, that's called a torpor, but at some point they need to wake up and start feeding," said Brown. "They can't last a five-day period and when they wake up there might not be a single flower maybe in all of Texas that they can drink from."
There is something you can do to help these small creatures.
A hummingbird feeder you can purchase just about anywhere and does not have be costly. In fact Brown says, there are DIY videos you can find on You Tube on how to make a feeder. This includes the sweet nectar you can either purchase or make yourself.
To make nectar at home, Brown's recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar with 4 cups of water. Mix those two together until dissolved. If you have left over nectar you can store that in the refrigerator.
Red dye is not recommended says Brown.
"Your gotta change the water out every 3 to 5 days depending on how hot it is. So, just like you if you had a glass of lemonade and you set it on your porch for 5 days would you still drink it?"
Some other tips to maintain your feeder includes, keeping it away from windows and around 6 feet off the ground to avoid predators.
