How to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden

How to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden

Visualize watching a bright green hummingbird in your
garden moving from flower to flower in search of the tasty nectar
within. These beautiful and tiny birds weigh about 2 to 20 grams and
are found in a wide variety of environments from the high Andes to
lowlands, and from dry desert areas to rainforests. They have slender
beaks, extensible tongues, ten primary feathers, and tiny feet suitable
for perching but not walking.

Hummingbirds can fly straight up, straight down, backwards,
left, right, and even upside down. While most birds obtain their flight
strength only from the down stroke, hummingbirds have power on the up
stroke as well.

Most hummingbirds flap their wings about fifty times a second
and have a very fast heartbeat and high body temperature. They feed
every ten minutes or so throughout the day and typically consume
two-thirds of their body weight in a single day. Their source of
nutrition is primarily nectar from flowers, as well as sources of
protein from insects and tiny spiders.

The key to attracting hummingbirds to your garden mainly
consists of the right type of flowers and places where they can perch
and rest during the day, such as trees or large plants. Hummingbirds
are guided by visual means and are particularly attracted to certain
shades of red. According to The Hummingbird Society, there are several
possible explanations for their preference of red blossoms. Given that
insects also see nectar, they can be regarded as competitors. Nearly
all insects see well in the visible and near-ultraviolet light but
poorly in the red end of the spectrum. Also, a red blossom may appear
nearly black and unattractive to a number of insects, but not to the
hummingbird, which can see the full visible spectrum but also some in
the ultraviolet. This makes it less likely that an insect has taken
nectar from a red flower. Another likely explanation is that during
migration, red blossoms effectively contrast with a green environment
more than other colored flowers do.

Hummingbirds are welcomed guests to nearly all gardens. By
planting flowering shrubs and plants that are their favored food
source, we can easily attract them to become regular visitors to our
gardens. Below is a short list of their preferred flowering plants by
common name, separated by region:

Southeastern United States:


* Butterfly Bush
* Cardinal Flower
* Coral or Trumpet Honeysuckle
* Cypress Vine
* Native Trumpet Creeper
* Texas Sage


Southwest United States:


* Indian Paintbrush
* Lantana
* Lily of the Nile
* Mexican Honeysuckle
* Texas Sage
* Western Coral Bean


West Coast United States:


* Beebalm
* Bottle Brush
* Cape Fuchsia
* Colombine
* Salmonberry
* Woodland Orchard


Northeastern United States:


* Blue Lobelia
* Cardinal Flower
* Hollyhock
* Red Morning Glory
* Salvia
* Scarlet Sage


Midwest United States:


* Coral Bells
* Coral Honeysuckle
* Foxglove
* Hosta
* Impatients
* Lilac


Even though flowers are the natural means to attract hummingbirds to
your garden, man-made feeders filled with a mixture of water and sugar
(sucrose) are an essential alternative. Sugar, whether from a flower or
a feeder, is a necessary nutrient in a hummingbird’s diet. Tests have
shown that hummingbirds favor sucrose in flower nectar more than other
sugars such as fructose and glucose. Therefore, with the proper ratio
of ingredients, your feeder becomes a good substitute to the flowers
that hummingbirds like best.

The formula for the mixture used in hummingbird feeders is 4
parts water (not distilled) to 1 part table sugar. Boil the mixture for
one to two minutes, then cool and store in refrigerator. The mixture
can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week. Do not use red
food coloring, honey, or artificial sweeteners in your mixture, as this
could be harmful to the hummingbirds.

If one of your goals is to attract hummingbirds to your garden,
a visit to your local nursery is a great starting point. Find an
experienced employee who can tell you which species of plants grow well
in your area and have a history of successfully attracting
hummingbirds. Most importantly, be imaginative and have fun planting
and growing your garden to attract beautiful hummingbirds.