Attracting Hummingbirds to your yard is easy and practically guaranteed!
Where ever you live in the USA there’s at least one species of hummingbird that will make
your yard more interesting. If you live in the Southwest you will get the lion’s share.
I feel that hummingbirds are the single most interesting bird to attract to your yard. They are beautiful, their flight patterns are unique, and they make very unusual sounds which announce their presence.
They make a squeaky, chittery noise that sounds more like mice than birds as they perch and fly. Their wings make noise, too, somewhat like a small industrial sewing machine. During their courtship routine, they make a vrooming noise, somewhat like a child mimicking the sound of a jet airplane. If God had given them the gift of song, they would be perfect!
Their behavior is aggressive, consistent and predictable.
Hummingbirds follow the food. Wherever there’s an inviting supply of nectar flowers, the birds will be buzzing. As nectar feeders gained in popularity in recent years, the hummers have shifted their migration patterns and species have begun to show up in new territories. By keeping feeders available during the winter and early spring, you might keep them year round! Go to Garden Accent Heaven for the best priced, highest quality, and greatest variety of hummingbird feeders.
Fall and winter are perfect times to plan the longest growing season of hummingbird plant magnets. High nectar content is the first principle, and then choose red-orange, red, and orange flowers that are a tubular shaped. Bees will also be attracted to many of the same type flowers. Read on for some helpful hints.
Hummers also eat tiny insects and spiders. They use the spider webs to make their nests so it is good to have webs about your yard for them to gather.
Providing water for them is highly recommended. Spend the amount needed to purchase a bird bath with a mister just for your hummers. (Link to our site) They love the fine spray. You can even add a timer and the hummers will learn the time settings and be waiting for their bath! And you will know when the show will begin!
Now let’s talk about which plants to put in your yard. Choose tubular shaped flowers, those with a flaring rim above a long tube that attaches to the stem. Tubular flowers are inaccessible to other pollinators so that the hummers are assured of a reward when they visit them. Example: daisy type flowers have high nectar but all insects can get to them. Some bees will get in to some of the tubular but the hummers and bees have a pretty good team approach .
You will want to plant perennials, annuals, vines, shrubs and small trees thus providing the widest range of choices and the longest growing season. Following are the most common plants that will grow in most areas of the USA. With a bit more effort on your winter reading, you will find more plants specific to your region.
Click here to see an excellent PPS special Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air.