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A
Hummingbird Garden
~ Planning for Your Garden ~ |
Did
You Know these facts about Hummingbirds?
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Seventeen
species of Hummingbirds breed in North America.
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They
fly forward, backward, shift sideways, and stop in mid-air.
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An
average hummingbird consumes half its weight in nectar each day and is the
world's smallest bird.
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Hummingbirds
can reach speeds up to 60 miles an hour. Their wings beat 78 times per
second during regular flight and up to 2000 times during a dive.
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They
lap nectar with their tongues.
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Hummingbirds,
like most birds, have virtually no sense of smell. The flowers that
attract
them tend to have little or no fragrance so the hummingbirds direct
themselves
toward highly visible and nectar producing plants and flowers.
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One
good way to enjoy the company of hummingbirds is to plant a hummingbird
garden. In addition to providing them a natural diet, a hummingbirds garden is
an
excellent way to attract birds to your nearby feeder; since hummingbirds
feed by sight on
regularly followed routes, called trap lines, their inquisitive
nature will
quickly lead them to investigate any possible new source of food
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In
addition to food sources, convenient perching opportunities will make your
yard
more hospitable to hummingbirds.
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They
spend about 80% of their time sitting on twigs, leaf stems and clotheslines,
etc.
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Trees
and shrubs helpful for attracting hummingbirds are Azalea, Flowering
Quince,
Lantana, Manzanita, Mimosa and Red Buckeye. Vines they are attracted to
include
Coral and Japanese Honeysuckle, Morning Glory, Cypress Vine and Trumpet
Creeper. The perennial flowers they like are Bee Balm, Canna, Cardinal Flower,
Four-O-Clocks, Hosta, Little Cigar, Lupine, Penstemon and Yucca.
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If
you plan carefully and select a variety of plants that flower later, you
will be
rewarded with happy hummingbirds throughout the season.
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Do
not use pesticides around hummingbird plants. As well as being harmful to
the hummingbirds, killing garden pests will also eliminate the small insects
hummingbirds rely upon for protein.
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Flowers,
Shrubs, Vines and Trees That Will Attract Hummingbirds
The
following is a list of flowers, shrubs, vines, and trees that hummingbirds are
attracted to.
Note:
none of these need to be red in color, although the color red is attractive to
hummingbirds.
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Cardinal
Flower |
Lobelia
cardinalis |
Lantana |
Lantana
camara |
Columbine |
Aguilegia
spp. |
Fuchsias |
Fuchsia
spp. |
Impatiens |
Impatiens
spp. |
Coral-Bells |
Heuchera
sanguinea |
Hollyhocks |
Althea
spp. |
Penstemen |
Penstemen
spp. |
Petunia |
Petunia
spp. |
Flowering
Tobacco |
Nicotania
alata |
Geranium |
Pelargonium
spp. |
Begonia |
Begonia
spp |
Azaleas |
Rhododendron
spp. |
Butterfly
Bush |
Buddleia
davidii |
Flowering
Quince |
Chaenomeles
japonica |
Honeysuckle |
Lonicera
spp. |
Weigela |
Weigela
spp. |
Flowering
Crab |
Malus
spp. |
Tulip
Poplar |
Liriodendron
Tulipifera |
Locust |
Robinia |
Eucalyptus |
Eucalyptus
spp. |
Honeysuckle |
Lonicera
heckrottii |
Morning
Glory |
Ipomea
ssp. |
Trumpet
Creeper |
Campsis
radicans |
Trumpet
Honeysuckle |
Lonicera
sempervirens |
Most
of the above information can be found in:
The Hummingbird Book by Donald and Lillian Stokes.
Published by Little, Brown and Company. (ISBN 0-316-81715-5)
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