Emily Chan
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.
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