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Hummingbirds Love Red Flowers

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Hummingbirds Love The Color Red!

Hummingbirds are amazing!  Every summer we have these jet propelled fighter pilots zipping and zooming through our yard. The buzz of their wings and the grace to hover as they seem to defy gravity by flitting from flower to flower is awe inspiring. They love any flower that is red and they are quite inquisitive. Watch out if you have on a red flowered shirt. The hummingbird may stop by to take a look at this inviting plant.

 

We plant different plants like: Bee balm, Lady in Red Salvia, cardinal flower, cigar plant , and my favorite, a red weigela bush, to name a few. This  keeps the hummingbirds in our yard for the summer before they migrate south. Our family spends hours watching their acrobatic antics while we are working our natural candle business from the comforts of our home.

You can attract hummingbirds to your yard with hummingbird feeders. We have tried many hummingbird feeders on the market. They do work. And, they are just that, work. You have to clean them often.

I would rather have a hanging basket of annual flowers of cigar plant and watch them from my window.

If you don't have the space, a hummingbird feeder works great. Additionally, you can make your own hummingbird nectar recipe for your feeder.  It is less expensive than the store mixes.

Start planning your hummingbird garden today.

Happy Birding!

Kelly and Curt Wissink

 

 

Hummingbird Resources

The Hummingbird Society: Helping you help hummingbirds!
The Hummingbird Society encourages international understanding and conservation of hummingbirds.
hummingbirds.net
The Web's premier place to learn about hummingbirds.
Hummingbird - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hummingbird From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Hummingbird World
Enjoying and Feeding Hummingbirds.
Hummingbirds: Operation RubyThroat, The Hummingbird Project
Hummingbirds: The best site about attracting and studying hummingbirds, including feeders, banding, and student projects.
Personal Stories About Hummingbirds
Personal Experiences with Hummingbirds.
Hummingbirds Photo Gallery - National Geographic Magazine
Marvels of micro-engineering, hummingbirds are the bird world's featherweight champions.
EPA | ORD | Watching Hummingbirds
A team of researchers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) led by Dr. Timothy Lewis, a senior ecologist at the EPA's National Center for Environmental Assessment, are keeping an eye on hummingbird feeding activity to gain insights into how air pollution, particularly exposure to elevated ozone levels, might affect hummingbirds and other kinds of wildlife.
Hummingbird Monitoring Network :: Research
Research is one of the most important aspects of conservation because it helps us better understand hummingbirds and the role that they play in their environment. By furthering our understanding of the birds, we are better able to protect them.
The Flight Of The Hummingbird Decoded
As it turns out, hummingbirds do have some of the same flight mechanisms as insects, which zip around in much the same way. But now researchers at Oregon State University, the University of Portland, and George Fox University can say with some certainty that they have tapped into some of the secrets of the fast flapping. In a recent article in the journal Nature, researchers made an announcement sure to please trivia-lovers everywhere.
Masters of the Air
Using lasers, olive oil, a wind tunnel, and advanced imaging technology designed originally for engineers, biology professor Don Powers and his colleagues solved a mystery last spring. By Sean Patterson
Five Steps To Happy Hummers
Here you'll find proven methods for attracting and caring for hummingbirds. Beginner to advanced hummer enthusiasts will find valuable information and helpful tips galore. My hope is that this knowledge will provide a more enjoyable experience for you and the birds.

Hummingbird Facts

Physical Description

Average length: 3.5 inches (8.9 cm)
Average weight: 1/8 ounce (3.1 g)
Body temperature: 105°-108°F (40.5°-42.2°C)
Wing beats: 40-80 per second, average about 52
Respiration: 250 per minute
Heart rate: 250 beats/min resting; 1200 beats/min feeding
Flight speed: 30 mph (48 kph) normal; 50 mph (80 kph) escape; 63 mph (101 kph) dive

Plumage

Adult male: Emerald green back, iridescent ruby red gorget (throat) that may appear black under some lighting conditions, gray flanks, forked tail with no white. Smaller than the female.

Adult female: Emerald green back, white breast and throat, rounded tail with white tips. Larger than the male, with longer bill.

Juveniles: Young of both sexes look like the adult female. In August and September, young males may develop some red spots in the gorget.
Molts: One complete molt per year, which may start during the fall migration and continue into March. Young males acquire full ruby gorgets during their first molt.

Gender identification is simple if the light is right: the brilliant red gorget of the male is unmistakable. More commonly, though, the shape and presence of white on the tail is a more reliable field mark.

Distribution and Migration

Ruby-throats breed throughout eastern to midwestern North America, from southern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Most winter in Mexico, Central America, and on Caribbean islands, although a few remain in the Gulf states and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Most researchers accept a remarkable non-stop crossing of the Gulf, taking 18-20 hours. They arrive at the coast in late February or early March, and follow the development of spring flowers northward, reaching my home in St. Louis on April 20 +/- 2 days. Males migrate earlier than females, in both directions; some adult males start south as early as JUly. Our female breeding birds leave here (St. Louis) in September, with the young of the year following; the last juveniles depart abruptly at first frost (mid-October). By mid-November the fall migration is essentially completed throughout North America.

A fanciful and amusing myth has arisen regarding hummers hitching rides on other birds.(http://www.hummingbirds.net/rubythroated.html)

Sources: Bob and Martha Sargent, Stokes Guide to Bird Beavior, Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds (Eastern Region)

How to Plant a Hummingbird Garden

Flowers and Plants which Attract Hummingbirds to your Garden
Gardeners guide to creating a hummingbird garden, including flowers and plants which attract hummingbirds to your garden, as well as creating a suitable habitat.
Hummingbird Flowers
Hummingbird Flowere for your garden.
Hummingbird Gardens
Hummingbird Gardens -- How to attract hummingbirds to your yard.
Creating a Hummingbird Garden at Hummingbirds Forever
Learn how to create a hummingbird garden at Hummingbirds Forever.

Bee Balm Flower 

Hummingbird Related Books

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Hummingbird Blog Posts from Google

MASTER GARDENER: How to attract hummingbirds to gardens
BY OTTILLIA 'TOOTS' BIER Q: We would like to add some plants to our garden that will attract hummingbirds. Can you suggest something that is really easy to grow and does not require a lot of water? A: Hummingbirds are attracted to plants that are rich ...
Sarah Ledbetter releasing a hummingbird
Sarah Ledbetter, 9, of Stuttgart releases a ruby-throated hummingbird back into the wild after it was banded at Potlatch Conservation Education Center at Cook's Lake. A hummingbird workshop was held Saturday to educate residents on the migratory birds, ...
Hummingbird Beats: Wild Squirrel Nut Butter
These hummingbirds are more like grocery store groupies -- and it's clearly paying off. What's in your bag? When you pack for a trip, in your handbag, in the pockets of your jeans...? Keeley: Notebook and felt-tip pen. I hate pencils, which is why I am ...
The Hummingbirds Are Back!
As you've noticed, the hummingbirds are back! At least the Broad-tailed Hummingbirds are back. The rufous and calliope hummingbirds will arrive in July. The Broad-tailed Hummingbird is the only hummingbird species that nests in the area.
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Hummingbird Guestbook

  • LetLoveBe Oct 10, 2011 @ 12:30 pm | delete
    Where I live, hummingbirds love honeysuckle vine. Thank you for other ideas.
  • annmackiemiller May 8, 2011 @ 5:29 pm | delete
    lovely
  • JoanneOtt May 2, 2010 @ 12:48 am | delete
    Hummingbirds are so sweet. Lovely lens.
  • Jewelsofawe Feb 25, 2010 @ 11:21 pm | delete
    I love hummingbirds! Blessed by an angel!
  • AppalachianCountry Sep 2, 2009 @ 7:00 am | delete
    Great lens. We enjoy hummingbirds so much. Thank-you for the tips. We hope to do them next year. 5 stars*****
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Kelly and Curt both have a background in teaching and a passion for using their gifts to empower others to work from home.

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