Helping hummingbirds!

Hi there! My full name is Shreyas Akula. I'm 8 years old. Please go to the end of the blog, ( not the comments) to click on the essential links.

Did you know that plants don't produce their fruit all by themselves? Animals help plants produce fruit ! These animals are called pollinators. But in this era of human history, our activity is putting these animals into trouble ! Wait a second. You might not know what are pollinators are. So let's find out ! Pollinators transport pollen from flower to flower. Pollen carries the male reproductive cells of the plant. How do pollinators transport pollen? Well, that's no problem for pollinators 'cause they are small! Okay, we are zooming into a flower! The pollinator, a bee has arrived! First, the bee goes to the middle of the flower. This part is called the stigma and located in the middle of a flower and is female.

While making it's journey to the stigma, it bumps into the pollen dusters. If you you combine the anther and the filament, you get a pollen duster! The filament's purpose is to hold up the anther and the anther carries the pollen. So, our bee hits the stigma and goes out of the flower and lands on another flower and the cycle starts all over again. But I think this got your minds wondering, why, why did our bee went through all this trouble of bumping into the pollen dusters, then banging into sticky stigma. Well, it seems like our bee was after something yummy that is hidden under the stigma. It's called nectar. Nectar is basically a flower's sugar water. Cool, right? Well, so what happens when pollen is delivered to another plant? The pollen goes down the stigma into the ovary. This part is responsible of holding the seeds of the plant. So, the pollen reaches the ovary and somehow kind of makes the ovary turn into a fruit or a seedpod. So, you might be thinking, a fruit or a seedpod is the ovary of a flower? Well, that's correct ! The animals of pollinators are bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and even some bats. Actually, most pollinators are after nectar while only some of pollinators are after pollen.

Now we know about pollinators, we can finally explore the world of a hummingbird. Now, you need to note this information down. It's essential for solving the troubles hummingbirds face because of humanity. 

Hummingbirds: Ecosystem and Habitat

A hummingbird habitat has a huge amount of red, orange, pink, and purple flowers which are kind of bottle shaped but tube shape. A habitat for hummingbirds also has secure things to nest and perch on. A tree is the best thing for a secure thing to perch and nest on. A ruby throated hummingbird drinks nectar for energy, but it also eats ants, aphids, fruit flies, gnats, weevils, beetles, mites, and mosquitoes all for protein.

Hummingbirds: Migration 

People with the range of where Iowa is and up will expect ruby throated hummingbirds to migrate north from the tropical rainforests of North America but they migrate back to the tropical rainforests of North America in late summer.

Hummingbirds : Human dangers 

1. Habitat loss. Cutting down trees and wiping out plants can destruct hummingbird habitats. It can also destruct a hummingbird's source of energy, nectar. Without energy, the hummingbird won't survive.

2. Pesticides. Using pesticides to kill insects is also harming hummingbirds. Look at the ecosystem and habitat section. Less insects, less hummingbirds.

3. Cats. They can see hummingbirds start to make your backyard their home (as long as you have a hummingbird habitat) every spring. Once the cat notices the pattern, it can use it's stealth to kill hummingbirds.

4. Birdhouses. Birdhouses without nectar can get hummingbirds really confused in there. Because the birdhouse has nothing in it, hummingbirds will fly into a wall by accident.

Solution

Okay, we have a hummingbird crisis in our world, but it's solvable for ages 4 and up. So, if you are a kid age 4 or up the way to solve this problem is to turn your apartment deck or your backyard into a hummingbird survival ground that looks like it's natural habitat. Look at your written section of the part Ecosystem and Habitat. Okay, here is way to build your hummingbird habitat. If you have a backyard, plant the flowers that attract hummingbirds along the sides. If you live in an apartment though, plant the seeds that grow into flowers that attract hummingbirds in pots. Next, put the pots next to all of the sides of the deck, the pots should be inside the deck. Go to the 2nd link and then go to the 1st link to see if that flower is native to your state in the U.S.  Now, we are onto the next step, planting a tree. I recommend planting a strong tree at the starting of spring. The tree will serve as a secure thing to perch and nest on. If you have a backyard, plant a tree in a pot. Then, after the tree is ready to be shifted outside, put the tree someplace in your backyard where it won't get in your way. If you live in an apartment in the city, Start the planting process just like you had a backyard. After your tree is ready to be shifted outside, ask a parent to take you to the city park. Choose a good spot in the city park to plant your tree. City park image bellow.

Of course, The last thing a hummingbird needs is water. If you live in a neighborhood, and if your neighborhood has some sort of water source, stick to your window a map that shows the way to the water source in your neighborhood. If your neighborhood doesn't have a water source though, at the store, there are inflatable pools. You can ask a parent to buy one. After your parent buys one, fill the pool with water and set it in your backyard. If you live in an apartment in an urban area, try searching the internet for a water source that is in or runs through your city. Now, just like I listed above, stick a map to your window that shows the way to your city's water source. If your city doesn't have a water source, then ask a parent to go to the store and buy an inflatable pool. Make sure the inflatable pool is much more smaller than the deck. Just like I wrote above, fill the pool with water. To feed hummingbirds with nectar, you can also use a birdhouse with a tiny bowl of nectar. But I prefer flowers because you don't have to waste every 10 minutes checking the bowl and cleaning the birdhouse so molds toxic to hummingbirds won't grow on the birdhouse.

Here are the essential links I told you to click on. 

https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/java/ 

https://birdwatchinghq.com/hummingbird-flowers/