HUMMINGBIRDS - AND HOW TO ATTRACT THE TINY LITTLE FLIERS

I love HUMMINGBIRDS!  They never cease to amaze me with their fast darting here and there amongst the flowers, getting a drink of the nectar in their favorite blooms.  Did you know that their diet doesn't just consist of nectar, though?  They consume thousands and thousands of insects every year!  Some interesting facts about hummingbirds:  I've read that there are some hummingbird species that can actually fly in any direction--even backwards!  And, it was no surprise to me to read that they flap their wings anywhere from 50-72 times a second and that their heart rate is about 600 beats a minute!  They are attracted to plants and flowers that are colorful--reds, yellows, and oranges.  I was interested to read that they prefer odorless, single blooms.  There are also hummingbird feeders that can be purchased to attract them that many of us have in our yards.  If you have one, make sure you keep it clean, and change the water 2-3 times a week, as the artificial nectar can go bad and can actually be harmful to the hummingbird.  I've always wanted to see where they nest, but have never seen any, although our neighborhood has a nice population of these tiny fliers. My friend, however, saw one just recently on a trip to Arizona.  She said the nest was so small, about the size of an egg.  The eggs and newly-hatched babies were the size of your baby fingernail, she said.  If you want to attract hummingbirds to your yard, plant vivid flowers.  Hummingbirds love my coral bells, bee balm, iris, glads, hosta, day lily, foxglove, delphinium, phlox, and hollyhock.  They also like fuchsia, trumpet vine, honeysuckle, petunia, sage, weigela, geranium, snap dragon, and sunflower.  It's nice to have a big variety that bloom all through the season to keep these tiny friends busy and around!