GARDENING : High-Energy Hummingbirds Are Ornamental Pollinators

The sight of a hummingbird is such a delight that certain plants are worth growing for the sole purpose of attracting it.

Hummingbirds’ favorite food is floral nectar. Flowers that yield their nectar to hummingbirds do ask for something in return--that the hummingbirds pollinate the blossoms.

Such ornithophilous (bird-pollinated) flowers have little need for insect pollinators, which are attracted to blue flowers. Hummingbirds are attracted to brilliant reds, oranges and yellows because they stand out against leaves.

The typical flower also has a long tube into which hummingbirds, but not much else, can reach. Because hummingbirds can hover in midair, such flowers do not need “landing platforms.”

Hummingbirds are not hard to attract to the garden. In fact, they can be downright aggressive, often driving away larger birds.

And hummingbirds do more than decorate the garden. These birds supplement their high carbohydrate diet with some protein, which they get by picking tasty morsels such as aphids off plant tips, or capturing insects in flight.