Guide

Go seeBirds

Hummingbirds at North River's nectar garden

June to August

At the start of the All Persons Trail at Mass Audubon's North River Wildlife Sanctuary, a garden of native flowers runs along an old stone wall. Its orange trumpet vine and native honeysuckle draw ruby-throated hummingbirds looking for nectar, and you may hear the whir of their wings before you see them.

Why this time of year

The sanctuary's trail guide says the garden bursts with color from June to October. Mass Audubon's atlas account says ruby-throated hummingbirds typically arrive in Massachusetts in May and leave between late August and late September, so midsummer is when the flowers and the birds overlap.

How to notice it

  1. Start the All Persons Trail at North River Wildlife Sanctuary and stop at the nectar garden along the stone wall, then watch the orange flowers of the trumpet vine and native honeysuckle.
  2. Stand still for a few minutes and listen: the trail guide says you might hear the whirl of a hummingbird's wings.
  3. Look over the rest of the garden too: the guide names native phlox and black-eyed Susan, and bees and butterflies feed there as well.
  4. Touch the tactile display beside the stop to feel the oval shape of a monarch chrysalis.

Try this with kids: Can you hear a hummingbird's wings? Point to the flower it visits.

Safety

  • The sanctuary's trail guide says poison ivy is quite common along the edges of the trail, so keep to the path.
  • Mass Audubon says ticks are prevalent at North River; take precautions to repel and check for ticks.

Sources

  • massaudubon.orgMass Audubon, North River accessibility page (landowner, primary): 'This 0.5 mile roundtrip trail has a firm and stable surface of crushed stone. The grade of incline is 5% or less.' (read 2026-11-10)
  • massaudubon.orgNorth River All Persons Trail tour booklet (landowner, primary; file dated 05_13_2026): 'The trail surface is gravel and includes a boardwalk'; nectar garden along the stone wall; 'From June to October, the garden bursts with color'; 'orange flowers of the trumpet vine and native honeysuckle vine attract hummingbirds in search of nectar'; monarch chrysalis tactile display; 'Poison ivy is quite common along the edges of the trail.' (read 2026-11-10)
  • massaudubon.orgMass Audubon Breeding Bird Atlas 1 account, Ruby-throated Hummingbird (data 1975-1979): 'typically arriving in Massachusetts in May'; departure 'Between late August and late September'; egg dates late May to mid-August. (read 2026-11-10)
  • massaudubon.orgMass Audubon, North River main page: 'Ticks are prevalent; take precautions to repel and check for ticks'; lists a Universally Accessible Trail. (read 2026-11-10)

Checked against these sources on November 10, 2026.

In the guide for June, July, August

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