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Creating a Hummingbird Haven

© Naomi Mathews

Have you ever witnessed the tiny wings of an exquisite hummingbird in flight? Or marveled at its incredible acrobatic ability to fly backward or forward, to hover, or to ascend vertically at will?

Consider for a moment that hummingbirds' wings can rotate 180 degrees, either up, down, forward, or back. And, that their Lilliputian wings beat about 80 times per second during regular flight. Miraculously, this speed increases to a mere 200 times per second when the male hummingbird performs his display dive. When resting, hummingbirds take 250 breaths per minute!

If all of this doesn't boggle your mind, imagine some of these miniature winged creatures, the Ruby-throated hummingbird in particular, flying 500 miles nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico to overwinter. Did I mention that Ruby-throats weigh in at about three grams, and that their eggs are about the size of a large pinto bean?

Is it any wonder that these unique garden acrobats have captivated the attention of both hummingbird gardeners and "watchers" for centuries?

According to statistics, nearly all hummingbirds that nest in North America are found only in the west. The only exception, the Ruby-throat, lives in the eastern half of the continent. However, a few others have sometimes been sighted along the east coast.

What do these resplendent little creatures dine on? How can you best attract them to your backyard garden?

Like butterflies, hummingbirds receive most of their energy requirements from the sweet nectar found in the blossoms of flowers. They also ingest small spiders or soft insects they spy on the leaves of plants, providing them with protein. Another source of nectar often found by hummingbirds is in feeders containing a simple sugar water mixture. A word of caution is in order if you use feeders as a nectar supplement during those times when your garden may not be blooming profusely. Nectar feeders need to be cleaned at least every other day during the hot summer months. Otherwise, the sugar will ferment and could cause deadly salmonella poisoning to hummingbirds.

Would you believe that a single hummer needs the nectar of approximately 1,000 blossoms each and every day to sustain life?

The hummingbird gardener will be delighted to know there are over 150 varieties of flowering plants in North America that attract hummingbirds. It is essential to keep in mind that hummers prefer tubular flowers that allow their long, needle-like bills to fit inside these tubes. Thus, their tongues can easily lap up the sweet nectar found deep inside the flower tubes.

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