What Are the Best Plants That Attract Butterflies and Hummingbirds?
Looking for plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds into your garden can be an overwhelming experience. With literally hundreds of thousands of species worldwide, you are practically guaranteed to find a few that will do the trick. In fact, there are probably more species of plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds than there are birds to attract them! However, there are several plants that can be effective at helping to make your garden more interesting and attractive to local wildlife.
The first thing that you need to consider when you are trying to attract birds and butterflies to your garden is what sort of flower landscape you have. Most plants do well in a flower landscape, especially those that are pollinated by insects. Butterflies and hummingbirds really like to feed on flowers that are close to their nesting sites, so if you have many nearby flowers that you can feed them from, you are sure to have a good chance of attracting them. Just make sure that they are not planted too close together.
On the other hand, if you want to plant plants that attract hummingbirds specifically, you need to choose plants that are nectar producing, which means they produce nectar to feed the birds that will come after them. If you have a garden that offers lots of greenery around your house, this is a good place to start. Hummingbirds love plants that are colorful and vibrant. There are many different types of flowers that will attract hummingbirds, including cherry tomatoes, tulips, and red and purple coneflower. You will also notice that they enjoy eating leafy greens, such as spinach, kale, and mustard.
Flowers also provide protection from predators. Many animals, including hawks, raccoons, and squirrels, enjoy eating flowers that are attracted to their nectar. This is especially true during the warmer months. You can protect your garden by erecting tall trees or hanging large netting out in front of your home. If you live in a very sunny area, you can also purchase specially made sun domes to place in your garden to give the hummingbirds a source of shelter from the sun.
Hummingbirds also prefer flower gardens that have a great deal of variation in color and pattern. They enjoy having several types of flowers in a flower bed. For example, you may decide to start with red daffodils, followed by yellow and white roses. In addition to having several types of flowers, the arrangement should be highly contrasting. This will allow the hummingbirds to get an image of a bird watching them from above.
Of course, the type of plant is not the only factor that should be considered when it comes to selecting plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Hummingbirds don’t particularly like any other kind of flower, so if you’re trying to make your garden look like a specific type of bird, for example a butterfly garden, you should try to avoid other brightly colored flowers. Purple conifers, pink peonies and blue roses are among the least favorite plants that attract birds, but they are all acceptable as long as they are planted in an area that would be visible to the hummingbirds.
The final consideration when choosing plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds is durability. Most of these creatures like to eat just about anything, so you want to find plants that are easily durable and will survive the different kinds of weather conditions that are part of their natural habitat. Hummingbirds especially like nectar plants, which are rich sources of food for them. If you’re going to be providing nectar plants for your hummingbirds, be sure that you provide them with plenty of access to dry flower nectar. On top of that, be sure to remove excess water right before the birds arrive to prevent them from becoming dehydrated.
When selecting plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds, remember that there are also other factors to consider. Not all of them are going to be attractive to each species of the birds that might visit your garden. You should also do some research on the types of plants that attract your particular species of hummingbird. This will help you identify which plants are best for attracting specific species. And finally, keep in mind that plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds aren’t always the prettiest or most colorful plants in the world.