Hummingbirds: Build It and They Will Come

FOR CENTURIES, gardeners have been fascinated with the beauty and aerobatics of hummingbirds. They are the tiniest of all birds, weighing less than an ounce and measuring only three inches long. Their brightly colored, iridescent feathers and quick movements make them appear as living sun catchers—hence their nickname, flying jewels.

Much of the fascination for hummingbirds is due to their unique ability to fly in any direction, even backward, with their wings beating up to a blurring 80 beats per second. Plus, they can hover in midair when sipping nectar from brightly colored flowers with their long, slender beaks.

While whizzing about the garden, hummingbirds expend so much energy that they must eat at least half of their body weight each day to replace the 12,000 calories that they can burn up. This means eating almost constantly from sunrise to sunset and visiting over a thousand flowers every day.

The key to attracting hummingbirds to your yard is to plant lots of flowers and provide the habitat that will give them shade, shelter, food, and security. Herbs, flowering shrubs, dwarf trees, and vines all can be used to create an ideal tiered habitat from ground level to ten feet or more. Provide lots of space between plants to give hummingbirds enough room to hover and navigate from flower to flower.

Hummingbirds do not have a keen sense of smell and rely on bright colors to find their food. They are particularly fond of red and are often observed investigating red plant labels, thermometers, and even red clothes on a gardener. Brightly colored flowers that are tubular hold the most nectar and are particularly attractive to hummingbirds. These include perennials such as bee balms, columbines, daylilies, and lupines; biennials such as foxgloves and hollyhocks; and many annuals, including cleomes, impatiens, and petunias.

Hummingbirds love water, especially if it is moving. A gentle, continuous spray from a nozzle or a sprinkler hose is perfect for a bath on the fly.

An often-asked question is, "Why do hummingbirds hum?" We really aren't sure, but suspect that it might be because they don't know the words.

– –George and Becky Lohmiller