First Coast Pet

Posts Tagged ‘garden craft ideas’

Hummingbirds are found all over the Americas including the Caribbean. Well-known for their hovering ability and their skill at backward flying, hummingbirds hover by flapping their wings at speeds as fast as 80 times a second.

The Bee Hummingbird is the tiniest bird in the world at only 1.8 grams in weight and two inches long. The largest hummingbird is the Giant Hummingbird at around eight inches long and weighing about 25 grams. All the hummingbirds have the fastest metabolism of any birds and to sustain this they have to eat their own weight and more in food every day. So that they can do this they must visit many hundreds of blooms daily to harvest the nectar. They have extended bills and tongues in oreder to reach right into the blooms. They can decrease their metabolisms when resting, unlike most other high metabolism animals. This increases their lifespan, which has been reported as long as 17 years.

How to Make A Hummingbird Friendly Garden

To draw hummingbirds to your garden plant brightly coloured shrubs and flowers. The sense of smell of Hummingbirds is very poor but they can be attracted by intense colours. Hanging a a speciality hummingbird feeder in your garden or on your deck will be a focus for these pretty birds. Annuals to plant include salvia, petunia, impatiens, firespike and jewelweed. Perennial plants include foxglove, hosta, hummingbird mint, lupine, yucca, cardinal flower, bee balm, canna and columbine. For bushes and trees plant lantana, mimosa, red buckeye, azalea, buddleia and weigela.

Don’t use any pesticides in your garden as you will kill bugs and insects that hummingbirds eat. They will also leave deposits on the blooms which the hummingbirds may consume. Also provide plenty of places to perch as they spend almost 80% of the time perching on clothes lines, twigs etc. Supply plants that will supply materials for nesting to attract female hummingbirds. They prefer feathery nesting material from trees like eucalyptus and willow and from ferns, mosses and lichens.

Placing vibrantly colored, specially made hummingbird feeders in your backyard will exert a pull on the hummingbirds. An excellent idea is to fix red ribbons that blow around the feeder. It is also helpful to put out feeders at various heights as hummingbird species all have different preferences. Species that prefer plants that are low growing will go to a feeder sited lower whereas species that feed on taller shrubs and plants will prefer to go to a feeder sited higher. Hummingbirds are also extremely territorial and one hummingbird may perhaps defend a particular feeder and prevent other birds from feeding. Place no less than three feeders at assorted heights around your backyard.

Hummingbirds enjoy bathing in the mist on foliage so you could place a mister close to some broadleaved vegetation to give them a place to bathe.

Making Hummingbird Nectar

Make a sweet nectar by blending together one cup of sugar and four cups of pre-boiled water. Cool and keep in the refrigerator. Excess nectar can be kept safely for up to 7 days. Carefully wash hummingbird feeders once a week by rinsing with a solution of 1 cup of vinegar to four cups of water then washing out with plain water. Fill with the sugar solution and suspend in the shade. Don’t use sweeteners or food coloring. Also don’t use honey as it can ferment and create a a poisonous fungus. Swap the solution in the feeder every 3 days or oftener when the weather is hotter.

In Conclusion

It is not hard to make a garden to attract these beautiful birds. Give them the food they love and a comfortable setting and hummingbirds will pay a visit your garden frequently.

See more garden craft ideas at Easy Craft Ideas