Joanna Radford
Home, Farm, & Garden
What can fly forward, backward, sideways, and upside-down while its wings beat 70 times per second (and 200 times per second when diving)? If you guessed a hummingbird, you are correct! These tiny birds weigh in between 2 and 20 grams and, in my opinion, are one of nature’s greatest wonders. Hummingbirds spend their winters in southern Mexico and head back to North Carolina in the spring. Some early hummers may arrive in the middle of March, but they are more commonly expected in April in our area of the state.
Hummingbirds migrate alone, generally following the same path they have flown before. They fly during the day when flowers are plentiful and nectar is available, staying low so they can see food supplies easily and stop as needed.
The journey back to North Carolina is long and challenging. Before beginning their trek, they gain 25-40 percent of their body weight to support the energy needed for the journey. They can travel as many as 23 miles in a single day while their average speed in direct flight fluctuates between 20 and 30 mph.
If you have not seen a hummer this season, be on the lookout. It is just a matter of time. There are a few things you can do to entice hummingbirds to visit you:
Put out a hummingbird feeder
Hummingbird feeders are effective in attracting and feeding the hummers. Hummingbirds are attracted to red objects, so select a feeder with red nectar ports. If your feeder does not have red ports, apply red tape to the feeder openings. Do not use red food coloring in the sugar solution. It could harm the hummers.
Fill your feeder with an easy sugar water mixture. You will need to use a 4:1 mixture of water and white granulated sugar. You do not want to use anything but white, granulated sugar. Spoilage may occur when honey, brown sugar, fruit juice, or red dye is used in the feeders. This potentially could harm the hummingbirds. Stir the sugar in hot tap water and dissolve completely. After the solution cools, pour it into the feeder. The unused portion can be stored in the refrigerator.
Avoid using insect sprays, repellents, or pesticides on or around hummingbird feeders. A trick to deter stinging insects or ants attracted to the sugar solution is to apply petroleum jelly on the wire from which the feeder hangs.
Place feeders near blossoms where hummingbirds already feed. Clean feeders at least once each week with a hot water and vinegar solution instead of soap.
Plant native flowers
By promoting native plants that are beneficial to hummingbirds, you can ensure food is available to attract these nectar seekers. No matter the size of the area, you can provide nectar sources to attract the hummingbirds.
Hummers eat twice their weight every day in nectar and flying insects. They feed by sight on regularly followed routes, which by the way, is called traplining. If your feeder is outside, they will find it. Once they do, they can be led to investigate other possible sources of food nearby. If you select your plants with a purpose and plan carefully, you can have varied flowering dates throughout the season.
NC State University has a list of plants preferred by hummingbirds. Plants included on that list are:
- Trees: red buckeye, yellow buckeye, hawthorn, yellow-poplar
- Shrubs: buttonbush, mountain laurel, rhododendron, sweet pepperbush, wild azalea
- Vines: crossvine, Carolina jessamine, coral honeysuckle, trumpet vine
- Flowers: beebalm, blue lobelia, blue phlox, cardinal flower, columbine, crested iris, fire pink, horsemint, jewelweed, rose mallow, smooth beardtongue, sundrops, wild bergamot, yellow thistle
Plant gardens in protected spots next to a fence or building to minimize the effects of the wind. Include trees and shrubs in your landscape. Hummingbirds use the branches for perching and nesting.
Hummingbird trivia to impress your friends
Once you have put into place all these nifty tips, sit back, and enjoy your hummingbirds. Here is some trivia for you to think about while watching the little critters zing to and fro. Did you know hummingbirds can see and hear better than humans? But they cannot taste much at all. A hummingbird’s tongue is grooved similar in shape to a “W”. Their tongue is designed this way to help them lap up nectar.
And what about their color? The coloring on hummingbirds comes from prism-like cells within the top layer of feathers, not from pigmentation. And guess what? It is the female hummingbird who picks their mate, not the male! In general, the males appear more colorful than the female hummers. This helps attract the female to the male. The somewhat boring coloring of a female helps to camouflage her. This is especially helpful when she is sitting on a nest of eggs. And are you wondering how many feathers a hummingbird has? 940 feathers are on an average size hummer. Now that is something to make us all go “hmm”!
My wish to you is that you enjoy the hummingbirds all summer!
