G a Rd E N I N G W I T H H U M M I N G B I Rd S
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A garden is more than a collection of plants, it is home to a va riety of wildlife. Attracting desirable species to your garden adds a wholesome balance and seasonal var iety to the landscape, and it is easy to accomplish by prov i d i n g a p p ro p riate habitats and s o u rces of food. Among the most beautiful and fascinating visitors to any garden are hu m m i n g b i r ds. There are 16 species of “hummers” that regularly visit gardens in the United States; understanding their natural habitats and their p re f e rences for sources of nectar can help you make you r g a rden a seasonal home for these intriguing crea t u re s . G a rd e n i n g w i t h H u m m i n g b i rd s Attracting these beautiful birds to your ga r den is easy once you know how. BY ARNETTE HEIDCAMP 22 the American Gardener bution is mostly tropical, with the grea t - est density of species in South America. The number of species diminishes as you m ove nort h w a rd, with only one nesting as far north as Alaska, and only one in the e n t i re eastern United States. Of the 16 species that commonly reside or nest ab o ve the Rio Grande, 14 are found in the West or Sou t h w est, where mountainous terrain connects southward into Mex i c o and the trop i c s . In addition to attracting nesting hummingbirds, many regions play tem- p o r a ry host to transients. For instance, both the rufous and calliope humming- b i rds have an oval migratory route, mak- TI NY BIRD with spark l i n g adding alternative sources of nectar, such ing a northward spring migration up the plumage flies into the garden and as sap wells and hummingbird feeders, our Pacific coast and southward fall migra- A catches your eye as it darts fro m ga r dens can become irres i s t i b l e . tion inland along the Sierras and Ro c k- blossom to blossom. Its iridescent, emer- Still, the best way to attract humming- ies. This elliptical route coincides with al d - g r een body hovers in front of a flower bi r ds to the garden, at least initially, is to peak flowering, first in the deserts and as its needlelike bill moves in and out for gr ow an abundance of nectar-prod u c i n g later in the mountains. nectar or insects. Suddenly an intense fl o wers, particularly those that they visit patch of scarlet neon flashes as the bird naturally in the wild (see chart on page 24 Eastern Forests. For ested eastern moun- turns its fabled ru by - c o l o red throat in for favorite native flower s ) . tains host ru by - t h roated hummingbird s your direction before disappearing in the Most well-adapted native plants f rom mid-spring to late summer. They blink of an eye. t h r i ve with minimal care and without nest in mixed woodlands, woodland edges, Hum m i n g b i r ds—quick, beautiful, cap- need of synthethic fert i l i zer and pesti- p a rks, and gardens across eastern No rt h ti v ating. One can hardly describe this fam- c i d e s — t oxic pesticides should never be America from the Great Plains north to ily of resplendent little crea t u r es without a used on hummingbird plants. southern Canada, and south to Te x a s . liberal sprinkling of superlatives. Arguably Another consideration in selecting They winter in Central America, or occa- the hummingbird is the most beautiful of plants for hummingbirds is their season sionally along the Gulf Coast. In addition bi r ds; certainly it is the smallest. Mea s u r i n g of bloom. In areas where hummingbirds to flower nectar, ruby - t h r oated humming- a mere two inches, including its bill, the ra r ely breed but are numerous during mi- bi r ds often feed on tree sap released by the di m i n u t i v e male bee hummingbird (Me l - gration, concentrate on spring- and fall- drilling of sapsuckers. Though this is the lisuga helenae) of Cuba is the tiniest warm- blooming flowers. Gulf Coast and coastal only species indigenous to the eastern blooded crea t u r e on earth. Fanciers never California residents may place a little United States, its range is extensive, and it ti r e of watching hummingbirds engage in extra emphasis on winter-flowering var i - is a familiar visitor to gardens in this reg i o n aerial acrobatics. We all want humming- eties to accommodate wintering or re s i- fr om spring through late summer. b i rds to visit our gardens and will go to dent hummers and may want to consider Rufous hummingbird feeding gr eat lengths to get them to stay. n o n - i n va s i ve, non-native ornamentals. Western Mountains. Only a few speciesfrom aloe of flower Because of their small size and high For instance, well-adapted species of Alo e , hummingbirds brave the alpine heights. metabolic rate, hummingbirds must re- Eucalyptus, Grev i l l e a , and Callistemon pr o- Yet, higher elevations throughout the plenish energy freq u e n t l y . This is where we duce copious amounts of nectar for the Rockies offer prime nesting habitats to get lucky. While they may roam widely in winter sustenance of Anna’s and Allen’s br oad-tailed and calliope hummingbirds. se a r ch of insects and nectar to keep their hu m m i n g b i r ds along the California coast. Broad-tailed hummingbirds inhabit little bodies going, they have exc e l l e n t For areas where hummingbirds spend thickets and moist canyons during nest- memories and return repeatedly to area s a full growing season, a steady supply of ing but afterw a rd move to higher eleva- rich in flowers. Gar dens that include ap- nectar-producing flowers will keep them tions of the Rockies and Sierras to forage p ropriate flowers will attract humming- returning to your garden (see “Ha n g i n’ on the abundant wildflowers of alpine b i rds and keep them coming back. By with Hummers,” page 26). m e a d ows. Their spring migration is through low arid areas of the Southwest, Opposite top: A rufous hummingbird rests on a WHERE TO FIND HUMMINGBIRDS as is the fall migration to Mexican high- lily. Opposite below: A young ruby-throated Hum m i n g b i r ds can be found from Alas- lands. By the time broad-tails abandon hummingbird feeds on nectar from S a l v i a ka to Tierra del Fuego in Chile; the entire their territories in midsummer, migrato- co c c i n e a . This page above: A male Anna’s hu m m i n g b i r d family (Trochilidae) is con- ry rufous hummingbirds move in to re- hummingbird and Streptosolen jamesonii. fined to the New World. But their distri- place them. Our smallest hummingbird, May / June 2 0 0 1 23 No r th America’s Hummingbirds and Habitats at a Glance NO R TH AMERICAN HUMMINGBIRDS’ FAVORITE NATIVE FLOWERS BY REGION Eastern Forests Beebalm (Monarda didyma), butterfly weed (A s c l e p i a s tu b e r o s a ) , cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), fi r e - p i n k (Silene virginica), touch-me-not (Impatiens capensis) Western Mountains Ca s t i l l e j a spp., Cleome serrulata, Epilobium angustifoli- Broad-tailed hummingbird Black-chinned hummingbird um , honeysuckles (Lonicera sp p . ) , Lupinus sp p . , Pe n s t e m o n spp., scarlet gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata) HUMMINGBIRD SPECIES RE G I O N S De s e r t Ruby-throated hummingbird eastern forests Chuparosa (Justicia californi- (Archilochus colubris) ca ) , desert willow Calliope hummingbird western mountains, West Coast (Chilopsis linearis), fa i r y (Stellula calliope) duster (Calliandra eriophylla), Broad-tailed hummingbird western mountains, desert ocotillo (Fouquieria splen- (Selasphorus platycercus) de n s ) , Pe n s t e m o n sp p . , Rufous hummingbird western mountains, West Coast, red yucca (Hesperaloe parvi- (Selasphorus rufous) de s e r t fl o r a ) , western coral bean Black-chinned hummingbird western mountains, desert, (Erythrina flabelliformis) (Archilochus alexandri) southwest borderlands Lobelia cardinalis Costa’s hummingbird desert, West Coast West Coast (Calypte costae) Aq u i l e g i a spp., Ca s t i l l e j a Anna’s hummingbird desert, West Coast sp p . , currant (Ribes mal- (Calypte anna) va c e u m ) , Diplacus sp p . , Allen’s hummingbird West Coast Eu c a l y p t u s spp., gooseberry (Selasphorus sasin) (Ribes speciosum), ma n z a n i t a s Broad-billed hummingbird desert, southwest borderlands (Arctostaphylos spp.), Mi m u - (Cynanthus latirostris) lu s spp., Ni c o t i a n a spp., Blue-throated hummingbird southwest borderlands Silene lanciniata, Stachys (Lampornis clemenciae) spp., Zauschneria sp p . Violet-crowned hummingbird southwest borderlands Chilopsis linearis (Amazilia violiceps) Southwest Borderlands Magnificent hummingbird southwest borderlands Agave americana, Anisacanthus sp p .