About
25% of plants are wind pollinated. The rest rely on
pollinators: bees, bats, beetles, butterflies and yes, hummingbirds, as well as some other birds. During the day hummingbirds feed about every 10 minutes and consume up to
2/3 of their body weight from the nectar of plants; they can service 20 flowers per
minute. The wings of hummingbirds beat up to 55 beats per second and allow these tiny birds to fly
at speeds up to 50 mph. They can hover and even fly backwards or upside
down.
Hummingbirds are
primarily attracted to tubular flowers. They are stimulated by
color, especially the color red. Clumps of bright red, orange and pink flowers
are more visible to them than other colors. Plants with red, tubular shaped
flowers are an excellent choice in the garden to attract hummingbirds. Other plants that
attract these birds are gladiolus, honeysuckle, iris, lupine, nasturtium,
petunia, and cosmos.
Recently, I was asked if hummingbirds pollinate vegetables. I am having difficulty finding specific vegetables that
they pollinate. That’s probably
because there are not many vegetables with red, tubular shaped flowers, which attract
the hummingbirds.
Lastly, the Islands of Hawaii have no hummingbirds, but a one inch moth is often mistaken for this tiny pollinator. The hummingbird moth has grey beating wings with a quiet humming sound. Unlike like other moths, this fellow is diurnal and uses his long proboscis to ingest nectar from plants and flowers. Hawaii's hummingbird moth is also a pollinator!
Lastly, the Islands of Hawaii have no hummingbirds, but a one inch moth is often mistaken for this tiny pollinator. The hummingbird moth has grey beating wings with a quiet humming sound. Unlike like other moths, this fellow is diurnal and uses his long proboscis to ingest nectar from plants and flowers. Hawaii's hummingbird moth is also a pollinator!
Photo: University of Maine
