How To Attract Hummingbirds
 (Read 500+ times)
By Glory Lennon
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The Hummingbird is distinctly different from other birds. It is not like the stately Robin digging for worms. It is not a head-banger drilling for insects in old trees like the Woodpecker. It isn’t an acrobatic feeder like the whimsical Golden Finch hanging upside-down on a sunflower when the seeds are ripe enough for the picking. No, the Hummingbird doesn’t do any of those things. It is far more like the hard-driven, busy bumble bee in that it likes going from flower to flower sipping nectar.
Knowing this we can assume none of our other tried-and-true methods for attracting birds will work for Hummingbirds. Bird-feeders full of seeds, birdbaths, birdhouses and freshly dug soil teeming with juicy worms do nothing for the Hummingbird. Therefore we must change our outlook and find flowers that will attract these darling little, nectar-craving flying jewels. If you have a decently varied and colorful flower bed, however, the Hummingbird will not too readily pass by your yard. But before we look into the flowers most likely to attract the hummingbird it would behoove us to learn about this littlest member of the avian clan.
The Hummingbird has a long, narrow beak with an even longer tongue which it uses to lick nectar from flowers rich in sugary nectar. These tiny tongues are almost as swift as their furiously beating wings, moving at the extraordinary rate of 13 licks per second. Let’s see you try that on a melting ice cream cone. With this unique oral construction we can see that not just any flower will do for feeding. Having these long beaks enables the Hummingbird to get at nectar which other nectar feeders and insects cannot.
These flowers therefore should have long, narrow, tube-like entrances with the nectar down deep within it. Some of the Hummingbird’s utmost favorite flowering vines are the deep-throated Trumpet Vine (also called Hummingbird Vine for obvious reasons) which comes in both yellow and orange-red varieties, Cardinal Climber (Ipomoea quamoclit) coming mostly in red but also, though rarely, in pink and white and its close cousins the Moonflower (Ipomoea Alba) which blooms starting in late afternoon and into the night and the early riser Morning Glory, especially the cultivars “Scarlet O’Hara” (a bright red color) and“Carmen”( burgundy blooms with a white throat.)
Another sweetly scented flowering vine Hummingbirds love is the Honeysuckle (Lonicera) though it does not have the trumpet shape of the others. These flowers are oddly shaped and vary slightly from cultivar to cultivar. The nectar within the tiny bowl-like flower, however, is one of the sweetest and packs a nutritious punch the always-on-the-move Hummer requires. Similarly the Sweet Pea has been known to attract a Hummer or two for the same reasons.
Vines are not the only plants for attracting the Hummingbird. The fragrant and colorful Petunia, the Daylily, the Marsh Mallow (Hibiscus Mostcheutos), Asiatic Lilies, Rose-of-Sharon (Hibiscus Syricacus), Rhododendron, Azalea and the very pretty Four O’clock (Mirabilis Jalapa) will all bring the Hummingbird to your yard. These flowers have a more open, fluted shape but still just right for the long-beaked Hummingbird. The added bonus of these particular flowers is they often have a tiny spider or other small insect nesting within which oddly enough makes a tempting snack for the Hummingbird. This adds some variety to the very sugary diet.
Other flowers not usually seen as the type to attract Hummers but which do because the rich nectar they possess is difficult to resist are Cardinal Flower ( Lobelia), Liatris (Gayfeather), Monk’s Hood (Aconitum), Larkspur, Snap Dragons, Lobelia, Hollyhocks, Foxglove (Digitalis) and the blossoms of Cactuses.
The Hummingbird prefers to hover in mid-air while feeding but that is not to say they don’t like the occasional rest. Their favorite resting perches are usually high up in trees on narrow, arching branches but also on thin, wiry stems like those of Cosmos, Bleeding Hearts, Mexican Sun Flower (Tithonia), Spider flower (Cleome) and the stiff leaves and flower heads of ornamental grasses and Hosta. Other blossoms Hummingbirds have used for perching include Zinnia, Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea), the Daisy and Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia). The Hummingbird will also poke around in these looking for an insect every once in a while.
Unlike what is commonly though erroneously thought, the Hummingbird does not only like red flowers. Red is just a more easily seen color which signals to the Hummingbird that there is likely to be nectar somewhere nearby. Packing your gardens, therefore with colorful annuals, perennials, flowering shrubs and trees will give out this signal and get them at least interested enough to give the place a once-over.
In essence, your best bet for attracting Hummingbirds to your yard is to provide a great variety of very colorful plants and flowers. As that was probably your intent anyway regardless of your desire to attract the Hummingbird, you may very well be on your way to having all the Hummers you could ask for plus a very enviable yard. Good going.
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Author Bio Box: Glory Lennon
 For more amazing garden facts, a glimpse at an unfinished novel and amusing short stories visit http://www.helium.com/users/32782
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