Here’s How You Can Create A Hummingbird-Friendly Garden
For bird watchers, hummingbirds are among one of the most enjoyable feathered creatures to watch. They come to visit in the summer in search of nectar to satisfy their appetites.
It’s important that hummingbirds have enough flowers available to them. Due to their fast metabolisms, they need to eat every ten to fifteen minutes. This can require them to visit up to two thousand flowers in a single day.
Finding that many flowers to feed on can prove to be difficult. So, if you already have a flower garden, you’re well on your way to having a place that hummingbirds want to stop at. Now, you just need to make it more hummingbird-friendly.
To create a healthy environment for hummingbirds, fill your yard with plants, such as bee balms, coral honeysuckle, cardinal flowers, and sages. These flowers are native to different regions, so be sure to check which ones correspond to your area.
Window boxes, and especially hanging baskets, make it easy for hummingbirds to feed. Both are also great locations for watching them up close.
The little winged creatures are attracted to bright colors rather than fragrances. They are most drawn to red blossoms, but orange, purple, and pink are also appealing to them.
Another way in which hummingbirds are unique is that they have the ability to hover and fly backward. No other bird in the world can perform those movements. They are tricky to do and force them to use up a lot of energy.
Help the hummingbirds out by providing perches for them to rest on. Sticks and twigs on bushes or trees are their favorite resting spots.
You might be surprised to discover that hummingbirds do not live on a diet solely of nectar. In addition to nectar, the birds need protein from insects. They typically consume spiders, beetles, flies, gnats, and mosquitoes, snatching them right out of the air at times.
Luis – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
So, refrain from using pesticides in your garden. You don’t want to eliminate one of the hummingbird’s main food sources! Try hanging a basket outside filled with ripening fruit or banana peels to give the birds more food options.
Furthermore, hummingbirds need water for bathing to keep their wings clean. Birdbaths are not suitable or safe for hummingbirds. Instead, install a small sprinkler or misting device in an open area of your yard.
And finally, one more thing you can do is hang hummingbird feeders around your garden as an additional source of nectar. Fill the feeders with sugar water and place them in the shade. Just remember to clean the feeders and change the sugar water regularly to keep the hummingbirds from falling ill.
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