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By Diana Wind (wind)
This article is best viewed in Firefox Hummingbirds bring great enjoyment to gardeners. I can still remember the day we set out our first feeder. On this special occasion I invited my mother over and we set up a few lawn chairs to watch the event. What a disappointment it was when nothing happened and our feeder didn't attract a single hummer! But I didn't give up. After reading a few books and discovering the best ways to attract hummingbirds, I realized our yard didn't have any of their favorite plants. After planting some hummingbird-friendly plants, sure enough, they began to appear. I'll never forget how exciting it was to see our first visitors. Top 10 Hummingbird Blooms *The flowers marked with an asterisk (*) are in agreement with Operation Ruby Throats top 10 lists. For additional top 10 plant listings of both native and tropicals, visit Operation Ruby Throat™ -- one of the best websites for up-to-date hummingbird information. This list is not in any order of preference; they are all hummingbird favorites. These selections are in the breeding range of ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris), in the East and Midwest.
The best way to attract hummingbirds is to include some of these hummingbird favorites in a hummingbird habitat garden. Ingredients for a Hummingbird Habitat
Bird Pollination Bird pollination (ornithophily) occurs in over 60 flowering plant families [1] and is often studied to learn more about evolutionary pollination shifts -- for example, between bees and birds, and how flowers' features and attraction mechanisms (color, size, shape and scent) and genetics have been changing over time. Bird pollinators include American orioles (Icteridae) and honeycreepers in the tanager family Sunbirds are found in Asia and Africa, Honey-eaters in Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii. In general, bird pollination does not occur in Europe and Asia, north of the Himalayas. [2] Hummingbirds mainly breed in South America and north, to Alaska. Their North America migration is an amazing annual event often tracked on various websites, as people report when they first see birds in their area.
Plant reproduction by pollination is necessary for life, resulting in a continuous supply of greens, grains, fruits, berries, and vegetables -- food for man and animals. The reproductive plant parts utilized in pollination are most apparent in a lily. The lily picture (shown) is from my garden journal. Despite the small type size try to focus on the reproductive parts of the flower. Studying your flower blooms is a botany lesson all in itself. Pollination occurs when pollen grains from the anthers (the male part of the plant) reach the female stigma that leads to an ovary. The pollen is transferred when small mammals such as bats or animals such as birds (including hummingbirds), butterflies, moths, bees, beetles, or other insects, rub against the blossoms anthers and get pollen on their bodies, which they then carry to the stigma of a nearby similar plant. Most flowering plants rely on animal pollinators; some rely on wind to carry the pollen. A Lesson in Pollination Video Directed by Tim Johnsen and Charlie Bueche Attraction to Red Ornithophilous blooms are often red and unscented; they play a role in attracting birds and deterring bees (bees can't see red) to pollinate them.[3] Nectar gives energy to the birds and is their reward for pollinating the blooms. Hummers visit all color blooms, but have evolved to especially be attracted to nectar-rich reds.  Gardening is a continuous learning process of what will and what won't work in your garden. As you experiment with plants that hummers love and can be successfully grown in your zone, you will be rewarded with special antics and humming sounds from the bird's rapid wing beats, up to 53 beats per second for a ruby-throated hummingbird. You may even experience a friendly, hovering face-to-face personal greeting! Photo Credits: Mouse over each photo to read the photo credits. All photos Copyright ©2009 All rights reserved. Special thanks to DG members for permission to include their photos: 'UncleGreenthumb' for his outstanding photograph of a hummingbird visiting a hibiscus blossom. Cardinal Flower photo by 'Kell', Aesculus pavia by 'Melody', Hummingbirds visiting various blooms by 'OneWish', Flowers reproduction by 'Wind'. Footnotes: [1][2][3] Cronk Q, Ojeda I, Bird-pollinated flowers in an evolutionary and molecular context, Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol. 59. No. 4, pp. 715-727, 2008. Related Links: Hummingbirds, Nature's Kamikazes: Attracting and enjoying the Ruby-throat hummingbird: Part I - by Melody Rose Hummingbirds, Nature's Kamaikazes: Information and tips to enjoying them: Part 2 - by Melody Rose Hummingbirds, Nature's Kamaikazes: Information and tips to enjoying them: Part 3 - by Melody Rose
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Hummingbird Pollinators
(Thraupidae); however, the major groups of bird pollinators are hummingbirds (
Why Pollination is Needed
