Attracting Hummingbirds

An assortment of hummingbird-attracting plants that bloom

at varying times spring through fall near my patio

include star jasmine, autumn sage, lavender, trumpet vine,
honeysuckle and butterfly bush.

 In the coming months, my yard will become a busy place, abuzz with hummingbirds, which are to attracted to the area by a number of flowering, nectar-bearing shrubs, trees and perennials, plus a couple of sugar-nectar feeders. In past seasons, I have seen at least 15 to 20 hummingbirds in the yard all at once, and am looking forward to seeing them again. Most of the activity happens at first light, and again as the sun begins to set. Now, while the weather is keeping us inside more, is a good time to plan a hummingbird garden and be ready to plant your selections in the spring, which is just around the corner.

 There are six species of hummingbird seen here in SoCal's High Desert: Anna’s Hummingbird, Costa’s Hummingbird, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Calliope Hummingbird, Allen’s Hummingbird and Rufous Hummingbird. I have seen most of these in the yard in most months of the year except for the coldest parts of winter. An exception is the Rufous hummingbird, which is typically seen here in or around April as it migrates toward Alaska from Mexico.

 Hummingbird habitats should include areas of full sun, partial shade and full shade. This is good for the hummers as well as giving the ability to grow a variety of interesting plants. The habitats should also have various levels of vegetation to include trees, shrubs, flowers, and grassy areas (I tend to avoid the lower levels because of a population of feral cats), which gives the little birds a choice of where to feed and where to perch. The bloom times of the flowers should vary throughout the growing season. Flower nectar not only attracts the hummingbirds, it also attracts small insects, which make up a substantial part of a hummingbirds diet. Water should always be available. Hummingbirds drink their water as they sip nectar from the flowers, but they also need water to bathe in. This water can come from drops on leaves, birdbaths, sprinklers, misters, etc.

 Adding hummingbird feeders to the area seems to bring even more hummers to the area. You can purchase hummingbird feeders most anywhere, and in a number of styles to fit your landscape and budget. Hummingbird nectar can be purchased, but I prefer to make it myself and avoid the red dye, which isn’t necessary. It’s a good idea to have at least two feeders out of sight of each other to help cut down on the number of squabbles between hummingbirds. The sugar nectar should be replaced every three or four days (if the hummingbirds haven’t polished it off) since it ferments, especially in the summer heat. Make sure to thoroughly wash the feeders with soap and hot water before refilling them with fresh nectar. To reduce the occurrence of ants feeding on the nectar, applying some Vaseline along the hanging wire seems to do the trick.

There are many plants available for attracting hummingbirds, and I prefer to use plants that are more drought-resistant to help conserve water. These plants include California natives and non-natives that can survive the climate extremes of the High Desert. These plants require relatively low amounts of water, can handle full sun, or can live in the shade of other plants depending on the specific species. This selection of plants also provides nearly year-round flowers if planted in combination – Coral bells, petunias, manzanita, butterfly bush, trumpet vine, fairy duster, little leaf palo verde, Mexican palo verde, mimosa, desert willow, ocotillo, red yucca, bladder pod, chuparosa, red-hot poker, English lavender, monkey flower, beard tongue/penstemon, blue sage, autumn sage, California fuchsia and pincushion flower, just to name a few.

Don’t limit yourself to this list, which is only intended to get you started. Experiment and try out other plants as well. A good rule of thumb is to choose good nectar producing plants that offer tubular or trumpet-shaped flowers. They say red or yellow flowers are best, but I find it doesn’t really matter what the color is as long as they provide nectar.

Hummingbird Trivia

 • Hummingbirds are found only in the Western Hemisphere

• There are 116 Genera; 338 Species

• Most species are found near the Equator

• The smallest is Calypte helena or Cuban Bee Hummingbird

• The largest is Patagona gigas or Giant Hummingbird

• Hummingbirds can live up to 12 years; usually they live 3 to 5 years in the wild

• They can be found as far north as Alaska and as far south as Tierra del Fuego (southern tip of South America).

• A 4-gram hummingbird has a metabolic rate of 1,400 calories per kilogram – if humans had this high a metabolic rate, a 170 person would have to eat twice their weight in food each day, would have a temperature of 750 degrees, and would consume 155,000 calories per day.

• In an average hummingbird day (12 hours and 52 minutes) they expend 90 calories for perching, 3,810 calories for catching insects, 2,460 calories foraging for nectar, and 300 calories for territorial aggression.

• Hummingbirds must eat as often as every 5 minutes unless they are sleeping.

• Hummingbirds lick nectar at a rate of 13 licks per second.

• About 60 percent of a hummingbird’s diet comes from soft-bodied insects such as fruit flies, gnats, mosquitoes, aphids and spiders.

Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

4 parts water

1 part sugar (not honey)

 Stir together in pot and bring to a boil. Let boil for a minute or two. Let cool. Clean and refill feeders as necessary.