For some, a garden has to have flowers, not even the best well cared for and green grass is enough. For others a garden means an herbal garden with all the aromas from geranium, pelargonium, and jasmine. A medicinal plant garden is a choice for some others. All are in fact beautiful and they attract people the same way that they attract bees and birds.
To be complete a garden in the Americas, from far down in South America to high in the North American temperate zones, has to attract hummingbirds, one of the most beautiful creatures in nature.
Hummingbirds are among the smallest birds and they survive on nectar and insects, where they get their protein from. There are over 320 species, mostly concentrated in the Andean region near the equator, and they are exclusively American according to Helmut Sick (Birds in Brazil, H. Sick, Princeton University Press, 1993). Their metallic iridescent colors which are produced by the reflection of light, vary with the direction and intensity of sunlight and together with their acrobatic movements hovering around a flower or a feeder, offer a spectacular show, a true nature ballet for the eyes.
Of all the plants and flowers that I have planted in the garden the one that seems to be the absolute favorite for hummers is with no doubt the Chinese Hat (Holmskioldia Sanguinea). Its yellow-orange flowers seem to offer something irresistible to these marvelous creatures. At some times of the year, like in the winter months of the Southern Hemisphere, there are very few flowers and we help them with the nectar feeders to keep them in the backyard. Here I have included a selection of moments of joy given by hummingbirds on their daily routine that I would like to share.
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