Hummingbirds in My Backyard

A few weeks ago I purchased a hummingbird feeder at our local nursery. As much as I tried to plant flowers that would attract these facinating birds, I just never got any to visit. But within a few hours of placing the feeder where we could watch from the kitchen windows, we saw one! What an absolute delight to see!

Hummingbirds get their name from the sound their wings make when they fly because they are flapping so fast (about 80x per second!). They have a unique ability to fly in any direction -  right, left, up down, backwards and upside down too.

Hummingbirds are attacted to food by sight, and though red flowers are huge attractors, these birds will go to any colored flower, so long as they are rich in nectar. My feeder is red and yellow, but the nectar is clear. 

If you haven't done so already, I highly recommending attracting hummingbirds either with a feeder or plants. Perennials such as bee balms, columbines, daylillies, lupines and annuals like cleome, impatiens and petunias are a good place to start!