>There is a large, reddish-flowered shrub just north of the barns at
>Nisqually that seems to be crawling with Rufous Hummingbirds this time of
>year. We keyed it out this past weekend and IDed it as a Reddish Currant
>(Ribes sanguineus). In Bent's account of Rufous hummer he cites someone from
>western Washington to the effect that these hummers seem to time their
>arrival to coincide with flowering of this native currant, and that male
>hummers often base their territories around it.
>
>Do any Seattle/suburban tweeters have a Reddish Currant in their yard,
>and if so, do Rufous hummers flock to it?
>
>David Wright
>dwright at u.washington.edu

Yes, but no. I don't think there are many Rufous Hummingbirds in the city,
even in well-wooded areas. We keep planting currants, hoping they will
attract hummers, but all we've seen is one briefly visiting male Calliope.
That was a superb reward, but the shrubs are rewarding in their own beauty.
I've read that this was one of the first plant species taken from the
Pacific Northwest back to Kew Gardens in London.

Both red-flowered currant (Ribes sanguineum) and salmonberry (Rubus
spectabilis) are unusual in their genera for having reddish-pink flowers.
Most currants and blackberries have white flowers and are pollinated by
insects, but I think these two PNW species evolved their hummingbird
attractiveness to take advantage of the influx of Rufous hummers in spring
when it might even be too cool for bumblebees. I can imagine selection for
blooming earlier and earlier to avoid competition with pollinators by other
flowering shrubs. I guess we'll never know whether the early-arriving
hummer or the early-blooming plants led the way. Almost anywhere they
occur except in urban areas, both of these shrubs often have associated
Rufous (but not Anna's) Hummingbirds.

I recall some clearcuts on Whidbey Island that were awash in red-flowered
currant, and if you miss it in the lowlands, it's blooming in profusion
near Snoqualmies Pass a month or so later.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416