Creating a Hummingbird Habitat with Native Plants
By Elora Derbyshire
By Elora Derbyshire
Native plants are beneficial to the environment, the birds in our area, and you. Adapted to living in our region, they provide food, shelter, and even nesting areas for local birds. You also don’t need to use artificial fertilizers/pesticides, which can be harmful to the environment, to encourage them to grow.
Each year, ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris), the only hummingbird species found in Maryland, migrate to Mexico and Central America for the Winter and travel back to the eastern United States in Spring, which often involves flying about 500 miles. When some arrive in Maryland in May, they rely on native, tubular flowers (as well as a wide variety of insects and other native plants) for food -- because of thousands of years of co-evolution, their long, narrow beaks are optimized to extract nectar from them. They are particularly attracted to bright red, orange, and pink flowers in these categories. This includes cardinal flower, columbine, great blue lobelia, jewelweed, and sundrops, many of which start to bloom by mid-April.
In order to get ready for the ruby-throated hummingbirds’ arrival, you can plant a few of these flowers in your yard or balcony garden. However, because they are only 3.5 inches long and weight one-eighth of an ounce, they are vulnerable to predators. For this reason, you should also make sure that there are (at least) a few small trees near your hummingbird habitat. This will give them a covered place to rest and check that the area around them is clear of predators. To make your garden even more hummingbird-friendly, you can place a clean water-source in a shady area of your hummingbird habitat. Finally, in addition to planting native, tubular flowers, you can make ‘nectar’ by boiling a four-parts hot water to one-part white sugar solution for two minutes, letting it cool, and pouring it into an easy-to-clean hummingbird-feeder, which should be hung in the shade.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds are crepuscular (most active at dawn and dusk). The best time to watch them is at sunset. Hummingbirds are wonderful visitors who will come back each year to enjoy your garden.
Sources:
https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/howard/howard-magazine/bs-exho-hummingbird-haven-20140429-story.html
https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/ruby-throated_hummingbird.shtml
https://www.fws.gov/Chesapeakebay/pdf/NativePlantsforWildlifeHabitatandConservationLandscaping.pdf
https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/attracting-wildlife
https://www.audubon.org/news/10-plants-bird-friendly-yard
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/ruby-throated-hummingbird#photo2 (Image)
Each year, ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris), the only hummingbird species found in Maryland, migrate to Mexico and Central America for the Winter and travel back to the eastern United States in Spring, which often involves flying about 500 miles. When some arrive in Maryland in May, they rely on native, tubular flowers (as well as a wide variety of insects and other native plants) for food -- because of thousands of years of co-evolution, their long, narrow beaks are optimized to extract nectar from them. They are particularly attracted to bright red, orange, and pink flowers in these categories. This includes cardinal flower, columbine, great blue lobelia, jewelweed, and sundrops, many of which start to bloom by mid-April.
In order to get ready for the ruby-throated hummingbirds’ arrival, you can plant a few of these flowers in your yard or balcony garden. However, because they are only 3.5 inches long and weight one-eighth of an ounce, they are vulnerable to predators. For this reason, you should also make sure that there are (at least) a few small trees near your hummingbird habitat. This will give them a covered place to rest and check that the area around them is clear of predators. To make your garden even more hummingbird-friendly, you can place a clean water-source in a shady area of your hummingbird habitat. Finally, in addition to planting native, tubular flowers, you can make ‘nectar’ by boiling a four-parts hot water to one-part white sugar solution for two minutes, letting it cool, and pouring it into an easy-to-clean hummingbird-feeder, which should be hung in the shade.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds are crepuscular (most active at dawn and dusk). The best time to watch them is at sunset. Hummingbirds are wonderful visitors who will come back each year to enjoy your garden.
Sources:
https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/howard/howard-magazine/bs-exho-hummingbird-haven-20140429-story.html
https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/ruby-throated_hummingbird.shtml
https://www.fws.gov/Chesapeakebay/pdf/NativePlantsforWildlifeHabitatandConservationLandscaping.pdf
https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/attracting-wildlife
https://www.audubon.org/news/10-plants-bird-friendly-yard
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/ruby-throated-hummingbird#photo2 (Image)