About Hummingbirds and How to Attract Them 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
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 hummingbirds 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.
