Attracting hummingbirds to your home can be more than just hanging nectar feeders. Providing nectar-producing plants to your landscape is frankly healthier for these energetic birds while also adding beauty to your surroundings. But serving up natural flower-based sugars is only one way to support these birds. They eat much more. Winter is the time to think about what you can add to your yard to help feed hummingbirds throughout the year.
One of the more common myths about hummingbirds is that they eat mostly nectar. It turns out that as much as 80% of their diet is insects and spiders. Feeding activity includes flycatching from their favorite perch, gleaning critters from leaves, and probing on tree trunks. Nectar fuels this activity. And as with many other birds, insects are the main food fed to their young.
The coolest part about adding native nectar plants is that many are believed to be pollinated primarily by hummingbirds when they are blooming. These plants time their blooming to when hummers are around, some during the spring migration, others in the fall, and others throughout the year when hummers are nesting. But flowers are not the only thing that are attractive about these choices – their foliage, fruits, and berries are also pretty. Best yet, as natives, they require little care. Here are a few that you can add to your landscape, in order of seasonal bloom.
Early blooming plants include Cross Vine (Bignonia capreolata) and Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia), both blooming by mid-March in the deep south. I can count on hearing Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds chirping in the tops of my trees on or about the Ides of March as they tank up on the nectar from the trumpet-shaped flowers of Cross Vine. Red Buckeye flowers emerge before the leaves and are magnets for hummers.
Flowers blooming during peak migration for Ruby-Throated Hummers (April/May) include Coral Bean (Erythrina herbacea), Scarlet Sage (Salvia coccinea), and Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), all with bright red blossoms. And yet, hummers will visit any flower with nectar.
When hummingbirds are nesting, Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans), Scarlet Beebalm (Monarda didyma), and Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) feed hummingbirds and other pollinators. I have had more than one hummer buzz me as I stood next to a blooming Coral Honeysuckle.
But do not count out late summer and fall migration when Turks Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus), Azure Salvia (Salvia azure) and Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) start to bloom. The nectar from these blossoms fuels these birds as they seek insects to build up fat reserves for their coming long flight to Mexico and beyond.
But don’t forget about native trees, shrubs and broadleaf plants that also support those insects and small spiders that these birds seek. Be aware, native plants attract far more insects than introduced ornamental species. A no-mow zone of wildflowers and grasses is also a great resource for these birds.
Lastly, consider being as environmentally friendly as possible. Avoid using herbicides and pesticides on nectar or other plants, to ensure the nectar is not contaminated with poisons and the tiny insects are not killed.
And by the way, Ruby-throated hummers are only one of 18 species found in the U.S. As many as 10 species of western hummers wander our way in winter, so they need your help as well. Consider adding more than just sugar water to your hummingbird friendly landscape.
Hope to see you in our great outdoors!
Cover photo of Ruby-throated Hummer on Red Buckeye courtesy of Lillie Gibb
Photos above in order of appearance: Cross Vine, Coral Bean, Coral Honeysuckle, Turk’s Cap Lily