Hummingbirds of Nebraska

Nebraska's premier botanical garden, Lauritzen Gardens is a 100-acre botanical garden and arboretum in South Omaha, originally opened in 1994. The gardens feature over 20 distinct areas including the Song of the Lark Meadow (a native Nebraska wildflower meadow named after Willa Cather), the English Perennial Border, Rose Garden, Herb Garden, and Woodland Trail. The Song of the Lark Meadow is specifically planted with native Nebraska flowers — including black-eyed Susan, plains coreopsis, yarrow, and blanket flower — that attract Ruby-throated Hummingbirds reliably through the summer months. Lauritzen is an American Horticultural Society reciprocal admissions partner.

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One of the largest private nature centers in the United States, Fontenelle Forest is a privately owned non-profit encompassing approximately 1,500 acres of deciduous forest, oak savannah, tallgrass prairie, and wetlands along the Missouri River in Bellevue (adjacent to Omaha). A Natural National Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Forest features 17 miles of maintained trails and a one-mile ADA-accessible Riverview Boardwalk. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are documented along the richly vegetated Missouri River corridor — one of Nebraska's most productive migration routes.

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Birthplace of Arbor Day and headquarters of the Arbor Day Foundation, Arbor Day Farm encompasses 260 acres of forests, orchards, gardens, and trails in Nebraska City. The farm is home to the historic Arbor Lodge State Historical Park — J. Sterling Morton's estate — including Italian terraced gardens, more than 200 varieties of lilacs, and mature tree plantings. The farm's Conservation Trail passes through native plantings and orchards providing important nectar resources for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds during their summer residency in southeast Nebraska, along the Missouri River corridor.

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The UNL Botanical Garden and Arboretum encompasses more than two dozen beautifully designed garden areas across the UNL East Campus in Lincoln. The centerpiece is the Earl G. Maxwell Arboretum at 38th and Holdrege, featuring labeled trees, shrubs, and extensive perennial plantings. The campus also features three dedicated native gardens celebrating southern mixed-grass and tallgrass prairie ecosystems. Free, open, and close to downtown Lincoln, this accessible arboretum is an underappreciated resource for hummingbird and pollinator observation in Nebraska's capital city.

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