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Building a Garage Addition to Your Home
One of the most rewarding home improvements I made to my house was to build a garage addition. For years I contemplated building a garage addition while I scraped the ice and snow from my cars and waited for them to warm up during the winter months....
EnerGuide for Houses incentive: Are you eligible?
(NC)—The EnerGuide for Houses service, which was launched in 1998 by Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency, identifies opportunities for energy efficiency improvements in your home. Even if you are one of the 60 000 Canadians who...
Home Repair Improvement Advice
Our homes are our precious possessions – to own a home for oneself is a goal many people aim for in life, even from childhood. After making a home for oneself and the family, it needs to be kept clean and well maintained. Home repair improvement...
Repairing a Hole in a Sheetrocked Wall
It is quite simple to repair a hole in a Sheetrocked wall, however there are minor differences in methods of repair depending on how large the hole is.
Small size holes (1/4” or smaller)
With small holes, simply apply a little joint compound...
Washington Home Improvement
Everyone wants their home to look clean and attractive. In certain climates however, this can require a constant stream of effort that would wear anybody out. Many areas of the Washington state area have climates, which are more prone to cause the...
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About Hummingbirds and How to Attract Them to Your Garden
Visualize watching a bright green hummingbird in your garden moving from flower to flower in search of the tasty nectar within. These beautiful and tiny birds weigh about 2 to 20 grams and are found in a wide variety of environments from the high Andes to lowlands, and from dry desert areas to rainforests. They have slender beaks, extensible tongues, ten primary feathers, and tiny feet suitable for perching but not walking.
Hummingbirds can fly straight up, straight down, backwards, left, right, and even upside down. While most birds obtain their flight strength only from the down stroke, hummingbirds have power on the up stroke as well.
Most hummingbirds flap their wings about fifty times a second and have a very fast heartbeat and high body temperature. They feed every ten minutes or so throughout the day and typically consume two-thirds of their body weight in a single day. Their source of nutrition is primarily nectar from flowers, as well as sources of protein from insects and tiny spiders.
The key to attracting hummingbirds to your garden mainly consists of the right type of flowers and places where they can perch and rest during the day, such as trees or large plants. Hummingbirds are guided by visual means and are particularly attracted to certain shades of red. According to The Hummingbird Society, there are several possible explanations for their preference of red blossoms. Given that insects also see nectar, they can be regarded as competitors. Nearly all insects see well in the visible and near-ultraviolet light but poorly in the red end of the spectrum. Also, a red blossom may appear nearly black and unattractive to a number of insects, but not to the hummingbird, which can see the full visible spectrum but also some in the ultraviolet. This makes it less likely that an insect has taken nectar from a red flower. Another likely explanation is that during migration, red blossoms effectively contrast with a green environment more than other colored flowers do.
Hummingbirds are welcomed guests to nearly all gardens. By planting flowering shrubs and plants that are their favored food source, we can easily attract them to become regular visitors to our gardens. Below is a short list of their preferred flowering plants by common name, separated by region:
Southeastern United States:
•Butterfly Bush
•Cardinal Flower
•Coral
or Trumpet Honeysuckle
•Cypress Vine
•Native Trumpet Creeper
•Texas Sage
Southwest United States:
•Indian Paintbrush
•Lantana
•Lily of the Nile
•Mexican Honeysuckle
•Texas Sage
•Western Coral Bean
West Coast United States:
•Beebalm
•Bottle Brush
•Cape Fuchsia
•Colombine
•Salmonberry
•Woodland Orchard
Northeastern United States:
•Blue Lobelia
•Cardinal Flower
•Hollyhock
•Red Morning Glory
•Salvia
•Scarlet Sage
Midwest United States:
•Coral Bells
•Coral Honeysuckle
•Foxglove
•Hosta
•Impatients
•Lilac
Even though flowers are the natural means to attract hummingbirds to your garden, man-made feeders filled with a mixture of water and sugar (sucrose) are an essential alternative. Sugar, whether from a flower or a feeder, is a necessary nutrient in a hummingbird’s diet. Tests have shown that hummingbirds favor sucrose in flower nectar more than other sugars such as fructose and glucose. Therefore, with the proper ratio of ingredients, your feeder becomes a good substitute to the flowers that hummingbirds like best.
The formula for the mixture used in hummingbird feeders is 4 parts water (not distilled) to 1 part table sugar. Boil the mixture for one to two minutes, then cool and store in refrigerator. The mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week. Do not use red food coloring, honey, or artificial sweeteners in your mixture, as this could be harmful to the hummingbirds.
If one of your goals is to attract hummingbirds to your garden, a visit to your local nursery is a great starting point. Find an experienced employee who can tell you which species of plants grow well in your area and have a history of successfully attracting hummingbirds. Most importantly, be imaginative and have fun planting and growing your garden to attract beautiful hummingbirds.
About the Author
Copyright 2005, Lesley Dietschy, All rights reserved.
Lesley Dietschy is the creator/editor of The Home Decor Exchange, a popular home decor, garden decor, and home improvement website. Please visit the website for quality resources, articles, ideas, tips, free projects, and much more. The website also has a shopping marketplace and a unique Gallery featuring Pine Needle Baskets and Gourd Art. http://www.HomeDecorExchange.com
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