The Ruby-throated hummingbird is the only hummingbird that visits our area. Hummers start to arrive here around May 1.
Tips for attracting hummingbirds
-The ideal sugar water mixture for hot or dry weather is one-quarter cup of sugar per cup of water. This is a mixture you can purchase at Pasquesi's.
-Don't use honey in your hummingbird feeder. Honey contains different sugars than are found in nectar and spoils faster than sugar water.
-Red food coloring is unnecessary and possible harmful. Real nectar is colorless.
-In hot weather, don't fill your feeder all the way to the top. You can add more, rather than waste the nectar that is likely to ferment in heat and sun.
-Change sugar water every 3-5 days to prevent mold and deadly fermentation and more frequently when it's over 90 degrees outside. Change it every day in a long, hot spell.
-Clean feeder at least once a week with hot water and a bottle brush. Don't use soap or a detergent.
-Because mold readily grows in sugar water and can attach to feeders, make sure to take the feeder apart when cleaning. Use a dishwasher on a hot setting or hand wash either with soap and boiling water or with a dilute bleach solution (rinse thoroughly and allow to dry before refilling.)
-If you have a bee, wasp or ant problem, try moving the feeder. Don't put oil or other sticky substances around the ports to deter the insects; you might contaminate the nectar or soil the birds' feathers.
-Several smaller feeders spread around your yard may serve more hummingbirds than one large feeder. Male hummers tend to be aggressive and one bird may keep others away from a feeder, even if there's plenty to go around.
-SOURCE: Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Top Plants that Attract Hummingbirds
ANNUALS
Lantana
Salvia
Petunia
Fuchsia
Super Bells (Calibrachoa)
Morning Glory
Impatiens
Lobelia
Hollyhock
Begonia
Canna
Cleome
Dahlia
Nasturtium
Nicotiana
Verbena
Zinnia
PERENNIALS
Sage (Salvia)
Hummingbird Mint (Agastache)
Blazing Star (Liatris)
Bee Balm (Monarda or Bergamot)
Honeysuckle (Lonicera)
Lupine (Lupinus)
Beard Tongue (Penstemon)
Coral Bells (Huechera)
Columbine (Aquilegia Canadensis)
Hosta
Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans)
Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii)
Foxglove (Digitalis)
Delphinium
Coneflower 'Tomato Soup' (Echinacea)
Hibiscus
Bleeding Heart
Hardy Geranium
Penstemon
Sweet William
Butterfly Weed
