I don’t think I’ve ever met a person who didn’t like hummingbirds, and it’s obvious to see why. These beautifully colored birds dip and zip around our yard and in our flowerbeds, entertaining us with their incredible acrobatics. You certainly can attract them by putting up a bright red feeder, but there’s more to attracting these tiny welcomed visitors. It’s not unusual for us to see 50 to 60 birds from our side porch during fall migration.
Let me give you a few suggestions that Lola and I have found. They not only feed on nectar from the flowers, but spiders and small insects also constitute a significant part of their diet. It’s actually quite easy to attract them.
Start by adding small trees and flowering shrubs. Small trees provide hummingbirds with lookout places, which they love, and a safe place to make their nests. The flowering shrubs provide mid-level cover that protects them from predators and harsh weather. For the most success, use native plants because that’s what the birds are used to and which produce the best nectar for them. Stagger the blooming times so that something is in flower from early spring through mid-fall. It’s best to plant clusters rather than single specimens to make food sources easier to spot for the birds. These birds use up calories at an unbelievable rate. They need to eat frequently throughout the day to sustain their high metabolism, feeding at least once every 10 minutes. Make sure you don’t use pesticides, as these will eliminate the hummingbirds’ food and can harm them.
Feeders are great to use, but they should supplement their habitat, not the other way around. Choose feeders with simple designs and red or yellow accents at the feeding ports that are easy to clean. Do not use artificially dyed nectar, which offers little benefit to the birds. Instead, make your own by combining four parts hot water (as hot as you can get it from the tap) with one part plain white sugar. I make it up in a gallon jug and shake it thoroughly until it’s completely mixed, then refrigerate what you don’t use.
Change the mixture out at least every four days, and clean your feeder thoroughly every eight days.
Here are a few suggestions on native plants that we have found extremely successful in West Tennessee, along with a few non-natives. I highly recommend perennials because they come back every year and you only have to plant them once. Our birds normally arrive around mid-April and stay until my birthday in mid-October before heading back south.
We highly recommend Bee Balm, American Columbine, common butterfly bush, trumpet creeper vine, flowering quince shrubs, red buckeye, coral bells, red hot poker, daylilies, and lantana (make sure you get the variety Miss Huff, which will come back year after year).
Other favorites include the vine Japanese honeysuckle, trumpet honeysuckle, and Scarlet Runner beans, which can be quite beautiful in your vegetable garden or growing up a trellis, along with plenty of perennial salvia (make sure you get the perennial salvia that’s hardy in Zone 7). Most of our birds will be the Ruby-throated variety.
Enjoy your birds!
“How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom, you made them all. The earth is full of your creation.” Psalms 104:24.
