Tiny, iridescent hummingbirds can be an exciting addition to your garden. If hummingbirds live in your area you can attract them to your yard by planting red, tubular flowers. There are many red flowered plants to choose from annuals, perennials, vines or shrubs. Many plants depend on hummingbirds for pollination.

Hummingbirds feed on flower nectar and many small insects. Your garden should provide a healthy, steady diet of both. Also hummingbird feeders can be hung in your yard as another food source. Many different feeders are available and should be filled with a boiled and then cooled solution of four parts water to one part refined sugar. Do not use honey as this can cause a fungal disease that is fatal to hummingbirds. Feeders should be hung in the shade and cleaned every 3-5 days using a brush and mild detergent, rinse well and lay out to dry. Spread your hummingbird's feeders and plants throughout your entire garden to discourage dominance by any one bird.

Hummingbird Facts

*The smallest bird in the world, the Cuban bee hummingbird is the size of a bumble bee. *Hummingbirds like helicopters, can hover. They can move forward, backward and sideways. *A ruby-throated hummingbird, weighing about one-tenth of an once can travel 600 miles in migration. *Hummingbirds not only sip nectar, but also eat tiny insects and spiders. They may drink up to eight times their body weight daily in water. *There are 340 species of hummingbirds in the world and all are found only in the western hemisphere. Of these, only one, the ruby-throated hummingbird, is found regularly east of the Mississippi. *Flying consumes a great deal of a hummingbird's energy. Wing beats have been measured at 20-200 beats per second.

Plants to Attract Hummingbirds

Trumpet Honeysuckle, Trumpet-Creeper, Cardinal Flower, Scarlet Penstemon, Scarlet Morning Glory, Cypress Vine, Scarlet Paintbrush, Scarlet Salvia, Bee-balm, Fire Pink, Scarlet Petunia, Red Buckeye, Geiger Tree, Scarletbush and Coral Bells.