Hummingbird Food & Care

Hummingbirds are a delightful part of summertime in North America. These birds migrate into northern climates in the spring and stay around all winter in warm climates. Use food plants and hummingbird food to invite them to your garden.

  1. Plants for Hummingbirds

    • Columbines are rich in the nectar hummingbirds need.

      As hummingbirds prepare for the spring nesting season, they need to drink a lot of nectar for energy. Make sure that your yard contains plants like columbine, red flowering currant, fuschias and honeysuckle. These plants are red, pink and purple and bell-shaped, and hummingbirds love them.

    Food for Hummingbirds

    • You can also create hummingbird food by boiling 3 cups of water with 1 cup of white sugar. Do not add any red dye, since it is not necessary. Instead, get a red hummingbird feeder. When plants are not abundant or blooming, this provides hummingbirds with a good source of food.

    Dangers to Hummingbirds

    • Predators like cats are dangerous to hummingbirds. Provide sight lines through the garden so that cats cannot hide in thick shrubs. Provide sheltered areas in trees out of reach of predators like crows and cats so that hummingbirds can nest in privacy and safety. Avoid spraying pesticides in the garden, since hummingbirds like to eat bugs as well as nectar, and even small amounts of pesticides can impact the health of these tiny birds.