Hummingbirds and Red Iris Types of Plants

Hummingbirds

• Hummingbirds are tiny, fast-moving, fascinating birds that capture the eye and delight the senses with their darting, diving flight patterns and their ability hover and fly backwards. Though they willingly investigate all types of flowers, they prefer the color red and will probe any red object they encounter, including clothing, toys and shoes. Hummingbirds have long, narrow bills that allow them to access the nectar lying at the base of trumpet- or bell-shaped flowers. an area that is not reachable by butterflies and bees. In exchange for the nectar, the birds pollinate the plants, gathering pollen grains on their feathers and transferring them from one blossom to another, while flitting from bloom to bloom.

Irises

• The iris is a graceful, sweetly fragrant perennial flower. Though it is available in an assortment of forms, the bearded iris is the most recognizable. It produces a distinct, elegant bloom bearing three upright, arching petals, called standards, and three relaxed, gently drooping petals, known as falls. Planted in drifts or used in flowerbeds and borders, the blossoms beckon pollinators, such as the hummingbird, by sight, shape and smell.

Hummingbird Gardens

• A garden designed specifically to attract hummingbirds will come alive with flashes of color and dizzying movement. Hummingbirds have evolved as pollinators to many lovely flowers, including trumpet creeper, red petunias, flowering tobacco, snapdragons, red salvia, hollyhocks, bee balm, and bleeding hearts. Many of these flowers bear vividly colored bell-shaped blossoms. Using an assortment of them, rather than a single type, will ensure a sequence of blooms, so the local hummingbirds are never without a source of food. In addition to drawing a number of dazzling, lightening-quick hummingbirds into the yard, many of these plants also attract bees, song birds and butterflies.

Hummingbird Feeders

• Nectar from the flowerbeds may not fill a hummer's dietary needs; the average hummingbird must gather nectar from hundreds of blossoms each day to maintain its high metabolic rate. Supplemental foods from hummingbird feeders help local birds meet their daily caloric requirements and supply emergency food in the event of flower failure. Suspend feeders in shady spots where there is ample room for flight, and keep them filled. Commercial mixtures are readily available, but feeders can be filled with a basic sugar solution made by mixing 1 cup of sugar with 5 cups of boiling water; for the best results, add red food coloring to the syrup as it will readily catch the eye of any nearby hummingbird.